


Bound To Be Together

by flowerfan



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Banter, Dancing, Danny's slim figure pleases Steve, Episode Tag, First Kiss, First Time, Grief, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Love, M/M, Phone Sex, Pining, Season 9 codas, Vacation, a touch of superhero kink?, all endings are happy, alternate ending in Chapter 26 includes "fake" Steve/Cath wedding, cuddling in a hammock, lake house, reunion of sorts, too many mai tais
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2019-07-20 06:39:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 53,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16131746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfan/pseuds/flowerfan
Summary: A continuous story of Season 9 codas exploring the bond between Danny and Steve as they grow even closer.





	1. 9.01

**Author's Note:**

> A portion of this story has been translated into Russian! See [Russian translation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16155983)

“Sorry, what?” Steve rasped.

Danny pulled into Steve's driveway and repeated himself, his voice as gentle as he could make it. “I said, do you want me to come in?” Without waiting for a further response, Danny shook his head and got out of the Camaro. 

Steve had been quiet on the drive back to his house, although he had objected clearly enough when Danny suggested a stop at the hospital. So now they were here, Steve shrugging off Danny’s hand as he climbed out of the car and dragged himself into the house.

Inside Steve stood and stared for a moment, seemingly lost, and Danny’s heart clenched. “How about we get this crazy thing off you, huh?” Danny reached for the zipper of the ridiculous red suit and pulled it down to Steve’s waist. He had tried to get Steve to take it off before, but Steve had just sat himself in the car and glared until Danny left the docks. 

Now Steve extracted his arms from the tight sleeves, then shoved the thing the rest of the way off, finally accepting a hand from Danny so he didn’t fall down. His skin was clammy underneath and his boxers damp; Danny quickly looked up and tried to catch Steve’s eye.

“Wanna shower? Might warm you up.”

Steve seemed to consider this for a minute but then shook his head. “Think I’ve had enough water for today. Just want to sleep.”

“All right.” But Steve made no move to go upstairs, and Danny couldn’t bear to leave him standing stripped down and shivering in his living room, alone with whatever thoughts had been planted in his head by the Chinese spies.

“Come on,” Danny said, a hand briefly on Steve back to nudge him in the right direction. Steve didn’t protest, just blinked and let himself be shepherded upstairs and into his bedroom. Danny pulled the covers down and Steve crawled into bed, turning on his side to watch as Danny tucked him in.

“You sure you’re okay?” Danny sat down on the bed, letting his hand rest on Steve’s blanket-covered shoulder. “You were in there a long time.”

Steve closed his eyes and sighed. “I had to make it convincing. Thought I could just take it, wait until they decided it had been long enough.”

Danny felt sick, because clearly that’s not how it went. “What happened?”

“I hallucinated. In excruciating detail. That guy, the one you shot… he turned into Wo Fat.”

“Oh, fuck,” Danny breathed out. “Your brain really hates you sometimes, doesn’t it?” 

Steve huffed out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, no kidding.”

Danny felt a cold chill. “You, um, you know Wo Fat’s dead, right? You remember…?”

“I remember. I killed him, bullet in the head. He’s dead.” Steve said. He paused, finding Danny’s eyes. “My head’s not that scrambled.”

Thank god, Danny thought, not even wanting to go there. Fifty years, indeed. But Steve hallucinating being captured by his worst enemy was bad enough. 

“You don’t deserve this shit, babe.” Danny rubbed Steve’s shoulder, wanting nothing more than to wrap Steve in a big hug. For how long was Wo Fat going to haunt Steve? 

“I’ll be okay.”

“Tell me how I can help.”

Steve blinked up at him, seeming to consider for a moment, and then his hand came up and landed on Danny’s. “Can you stay?” he asked softly.

Danny nodded. “Of course.” It was a habit they’d gotten into, after bad days and cases gone wrong. Usually it began with beers on the couch, and ended with Danny just stretching out and pulling a throw blanket over his legs. But tonight Danny thought he might just take Steve literally, and join him in bed, even without the excuse of physical injury or too much alcohol. Because right now, he wanted to keep Steve in sight. The op tonight had been reckless, put together too hastily and with too many ways it could have gone wrong. Too many ways he could have lost his best friend.

Steve watched anxiously as Danny stood up, confirming in Danny’s mind that he wasn’t crashing downstairs tonight, not even if sharing a bed with his partner when they were both completely sober might be a tad unusual. Not when Steve got that look on his face just from Danny moving a foot away.

“I’m not gonna sleep with my shoes on,” Danny said in explanation, quickly stripping down to his shorts. He hesitated after he took off his shirt, wondering if he should dig around in Steve’s dresser for a spare tee, but Steve was still watching him with wide eyes and Danny was too tired and worried to parse the etiquette of this particular situation.

When Danny moved toward the bed Steve slid over, leaving space for Danny to climb in next to him. This close, Danny could see bits of white gunk still stuck in Steve’s eyelashes, like those found in all of the dead agents’s eyes. He couldn’t imagine what Steve had been through tonight, how isolated and cut off he had been. Talk about claustrophobia.

“You wanna talk about it? Being closed off like that, trapped… you know it’s my worst nightmare.”

Steve bit his lip. “It wasn’t good.”

“I figured. Might help though, to talk about it.”

Steve shrugged. “Don’t know. Not much more to say. But…”

“But what?”

“This is helping.”

“This?” 

Steve met his eyes, briefly, and then moved, digging his face into Danny’s shoulder and wrapping an arm tightly around him.

“Steve, hey, it’s okay,” Danny said, not even sure why. He automatically shifted to hold Steve close, cocooned in his arms in an entirely different manner than what Steve had subjected himself to tonight in the tank. It felt good, safe, and Danny shoved away the thought of how this was several steps past bro-cuddling on the couch. He let his fingers slide into Steve’s short hair and cupped his head in his hand, shuddering at the thought of what might have happened tonight if things had gone wrong.

“I thought I’d be okay with it, in the tank,” Steve mumbled against Danny’s skin. “But they plugged up my ears, my nose… couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t smell… I didn’t realize how that would feel.”

“You’re okay now, pal.” Danny stroked Steve’s head as Steve pressed his face into Danny’s chest, practically into his armpit. “And since I was sweating buckets wondering what was happening to you, I’m probably plenty stinky.”

“It’s good,” Steve whispered, nose digging into his skin, and Danny wondered just how weird this was all going to seem in the light of the morning.

“Happy to help, babe, happy to help.” Because sensory deprivation wasn’t, in fact, Danny’s worst nightmare. Losing Steve definitely topped it, and tonight they had come too damn close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from Walk the Moon's Shut Up and Dance.
> 
> I'm hoping to write a coda/piece of this story for each episode - please let me know if you're on board!


	2. 9.02

Steve’s been distant, hitting a new high on the dark and broody scale. Danny’s fairly certain it has something to do with Greer. He’s wishing he had stuck closer to Steve for the interrogation, given Greer something else to aim her hate at besides his partner, who seems oddly vulnerable right now.

Danny isn’t even sure whether to buy Steve’s explanation for why he sent Danny into the jungle without him. Yeah, it was nice to be appreciated, and Junior did actually learn something from him (and was polite enough not to be too surprised). But it was still weird. Danny tries not to let himself linger on thoughts of why Steve might want Danny to take the lead these days, other than purely to pass on his experience. Because Steve’s going to be around 5-0 for a long time, and it isn’t good for Danny’s sanity to think otherwise.

Danny couldn’t be happier when Friday finally arrives, and he’s got a built-in excuse to head to Steve’s after work. Danny shoves open the door with his hip, trying not to drop the groceries. In addition to steaks he’s also got a bag with several bottles of wine; Kamekona is insisting that if they are going to serve wine at the restaurant – which they obviously are – they should at least be familiar with what each selection tastes like. It’s a valid point, and Danny figures that he and Steve might as well enjoy the taste-testing process together.

He hears Steve’s voice from the lanai, and realizes quickly that he’s on the phone.

“Yeah, I’ll tell him hi for you. He’s on his way over. Probably just going to rant for a while, as per usual. Although lately he can’t make up his mind about which of my ideas is the stupidest. Apparently there are a lot of contenders for the title.”

Steve’s clearly talking about Danny.

“What? Of course. I can’t help defending myself when he gets like that. Anyway, Danny expects it. We’ve got a rhythm. It works.”

It’s true. It’s kind of their thing.

“And he’s still pissed at me for the last op.”

The sensory deprivation tank fiasco? Absolutely. Danny’s not likely to let that one go anytime soon. He still feels ill when he thinks about what Steve went through, and how close Danny came to losing him. How lost Steve looked at the end.

“Come on, Mary, it’s not like that.”

Good, he’s talking to his sister. Danny thinks Steve should talk to her more, maybe go for a visit. Mary might like it if he came to see her on her turf. God knows Steve could use a break. 

“Shut up, it’s not.”

Danny wonders what they’re talking about now. Because as much as he’s been worried about Steve, Steve sounds lighter now. He’s got a playful tone to his voice, with a side of amused embarrassment. Mary’s probably giving him shit about something. Good to know there’s someone out there who can bring out that side of Steve, make him smile. He’s gorgeous when he smiles.

Danny is starting to feel a little self-conscious about his blatant eavesdropping, not to mention the inappropriate stray thoughts, but then the subject changes to something less mysterious.

“The kids? They’re great.”

Danny relaxes and gets to work opening a bottle of wine. Tani and Junior are pretty great, no doubt. He’s surprised that Mary knows about them, although Steve does like to brag about his team. 

“Charlie’s getting so big, it’s incredible. And Gracie – you know she’s dating, right? Makes us crazy, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

A wave of affection surges through Danny, and he leans hard against the counter. Steve’s talking about _his_ kids, not 5-0. 

“I’m gonna teach her to drive defensively, even if Danny thinks I’m a maniac. They don’t teach it right in driver’s ed, and I’m not taking any chances with her safety.”

It’s not news that Steve is an important part of his kids’ lives, but Danny hardly ever gets to hear him talk this way about them. To hear how he feels. It warms him inside, better than any glass of wine.

“We’re not worried about that. Her grades are so good, she’ll get into any college she wants to. Although I think she’s gonna stay close to home. It’s up to her, though. We’ll see.”

It suddenly strikes him how the conversation must sound to Mary – Steve’s pride in the kids, his familiarity with them, his casual use of the plural to refer to how he and Danny are handling things…

He sounds like he loves them. He sounds like their dad, like Danny’s partner in caring for his children. And he’s not wrong, not where it matters. 

People jokingly refer to the two of them as “mom and dad” all the time – hell, Junior did it just the other day, when Danny was chastising Steve for burying money in the sand. It doesn’t faze either of them. Truth be told, Danny kind of likes it. And when it comes to his own kids, well, he knows Steve’s part of their family, the ever-adored Uncle who takes Grace surfing and plays ball with Charlie. But maybe Danny’s been underestimating how important the kids are to Steve. 

Steve has been trying to get Danny to let Junior and Tani learn from him… maybe Danny should be making sure Steve gets the full force of Grace and Charlie’s affection.

“Danny – when’d you get here? Hey, that looks good.”

Steve is all smiles as he takes two wine glasses out of the cabinet and sets them on the kitchen island. Danny’s startled out of his rambling thoughts, and for a moment, all he can do is let the heat of Steve’s gaze warm him. 

Danny blinks and forces himself to focus. “It’s for the restaurant, if we like it.”

“Good idea.”

Danny had planned on prompting Steve to talk about Greer tonight. He’s sure there’s got to be some reason that she has managed to shake him so thoroughly, something more than the obvious. But the dark cloud over Steve’s head has lifted, and Danny can’t bring himself to douse Steve’s cheerful mood. Especially not if thoughts of his kids had anything to do with it.

“I brought steaks too. The good ones, from that place you like.” 

“Awesome!” Steve claps Danny on the shoulder, his hand sliding down to rest on the small of Danny’s back as Danny pours the wine. “Thanks, buddy.” Steve aims a grin in Danny’s direction, and Danny feels his heart melt.

“Hey, you mind calling Grace later? She’s working on a physics project, and for some reason she thinks you’ve got a better chance of helping her make sense of it than me.” 

Steve’s smile grows even brighter. “Sure thing. Dinner, then homework?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

If Steve wants to have a fun, normal evening, take a break from whatever’s dragging him down, Danny can do that for him. It’s not that much to ask, not like jumping off a hundred foot cliff to catch a fleeing double agent. Although if it had been Steve taking that leap into thin air, Danny has a feeling he might have followed him without a second thought. 

As it is, with Steve fluttering his eyelashes at Danny as they banter their way through dinner, looking happier than he’s been all week, Danny can feel himself teetering awfully close to the edge.


	3. 9.03

When the rain starts coming down, Kamekona goes back to his truck to try to contain the damage. Lou and his sunburned caddie trail after him, Lou still bragging about shooting par. 

Danny, on the other hand, seems content to stay right where he is, stretched out on the picnic table. He’s laying down with his head tilted back, letting the rain splash right down on his face. His thin dress shirt is pulled taut across his chest, and is turning translucent from the water.

It’s a little more than Steve can take right now. He clears his throat and straightens his shoulders. “Wanna head back? Throw some fish on the grill?”

Danny lets his head flop over to look at Steve, not lifting it from the table. “Go back? What’s wrong with you? This is fantastic.”

Steve steps over the bench and sits down, wiping a hand over his cropped hair. The rain keeps falling, cool and steady, a strangely sensuous contrast to the unrelenting heat of the day. “Fantastic, huh?”

“Absolutely.” Danny opens his mouth for a moment, blinking up at the sky, like he’s trying to catch a snowflake.

“Wouldn’t think you’d be so thrilled with getting wet.”

“Steven.” Danny does a little full body wiggle, apparently getting even more comfortable on the table. “We’ve been wet all day. Sweaty, disgusting, hundred and six degrees outside wet. Alternating with periods of intense air conditioning that dried the sweat into an unmentionable coating, only to have it liquify all over again when we got back outside. So no, I am not always thrilled with getting wet. But this-” Danny waves his arms and looks around. “This is like when you’re a kid, and you’re at the water park in the summer, and then it rains – you’ve already got your trunks on, you’re not gonna get cold, and it just feels awesome. Try to enjoy it, pal.”

Danny closes his eyes, apparently satisfied that he made his point. He’s got a soft smile on his face, and he’s completely relaxed, lying there right in front of Steve, drenched clothes doing nothing but outlining every curve and muscle on his body. Steve feels an ache in his gut, and shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

“Well,” he says, at a loss. “We should go.” He needs a reason, a better one than just wanting Danny to himself. Even though they end up at Steve’s more often than not in the evenings, he’s still not sure how to ask for it. If he’s allowed to ask for it. “Everything’s open at the house, I should check on it. Because of, you know, the rain.”

Danny turns on his side, his eyebrows raised in mild exasperation. His hair is plastered flat to his head. It should look ridiculous, but instead, incomprehensibly, Steve just thinks Danny looks handsome. He frowns at his own idiocy.

“Babe, aren’t you having any fun with this at all?”

Steve knows he’s being weird. But it’s been a crazy day, and while their chase across town after Allison Ross was arguably successful, it wasn’t exactly an inspiring moment. Even if she had killed cops and bystanders in cold blood all morning long, it was still a bit of a shock to discover her in that inferno of an elevator. He could use a little down time to process it, preferably on his couch with Danny and a six-pack of beer.

“At least Junior and Tani are taking it easy,” Danny comments when Steve doesn’t answer. He sits up on the table, turning so he’s facing Steve, knee brushing Steve’s elbow. Danny’s dress shoes squelch amusingly as he plants them on the bench, but Danny ignores it. “Tani said they’re going to be tied up for a while, they’re still dealing with her car.”

Steve searches Danny’s face, spotting the way a smile is pulling at his lip. “What do you think about that?”

“Her car? Hopefully it’s not wrecked. If it were mine, it would be wrecked. But she wasn’t driving with you, so it’s probably in better shape. Random criminals drive more carefully than you do.”

“No, not her car.” Steve has no doubt that Danny knows exactly what he’s referring to – Junior and Tani’s attraction to each other has been painfully obvious of late. Danny’s just being purposefully dense.

Danny scrubs his hand over his face, then meets Steve’s eyes. “What, you think they’ve been spending a lot of time together?” A raindrop falls from Danny’s eyelashes, but he keeps holding Steve’s gaze. 

“Well, yeah. And they’ve been…” Steve’s voice catches in his throat.

“Flirting. Flirting a lot. Right?” Danny’s tilting his head to the side, that hint of a smile still dancing on his face.

“Right.” Steve recognizes flirting. And not just from his newest team members.

“Hm.” Danny turns away, looks out at the ocean. On the beach dozens of people are dancing around in the rain, suddenly energized and playful.

“Do you, um,” Steve pauses, not sure how to phrase it. “Do you think that’s a problem?”

“You’re asking me if I think it’s a problem?” Danny looks conflicted, like he didn’t expect Steve to press the issue.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Despite his growing anxiety, Steve’s too familiar with how Danny argues with him to break the pattern, and his voice steadies. “I want to know if you think it’s a problem.”

“If they get together, is that what you’re asking me – do I think it’s a problem if Junior and Tani get together?”

“Yeah.”

Danny rubs his palms on his thighs, his wet slacks doing nothing to dry them. When he speaks, that teasing lilt has gone out of his voice. “Honestly?”

“For God’s sake, Danny, yes. Of course, honestly.” Steve’s stomach does a little flip as he realizes he’s finally going to get an answer, and it might not be one he likes.

Danny bites his lip, and then turns to Steve, his face open. “I think that you don’t get a lot of chances in life to be happy. Shit can happen at any time, screw everything up. If they can make each other happy, it’s all right with me.”

“But they’re co-workers.” Steve has had this argument in his own head so many times, it’s almost strange hearing the words out loud. “It’s fraternization…”

Danny huffs. “Oh, so now _you’re_ worried about rules? It figures.” Danny slides off the table, mumbling something under his breath, then speaks up. “You’re right, I’ve had enough rain. Let’s go.” 

Apparently Steve is really a superhero – his power is sucking the joy out of the day. “No, Danny – wait.” He grips Danny’s arm, feeling the tension in his muscles. Danny’s almost trembling, about to pull away, but Steve hangs on tight. “I agree with you.”

Danny turns, a hopeful look in his eyes. “You do?”

“Yeah.” Steve takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly. He’s not great with words, but what he’s about to say is important. “If they can make each other happy, they should.”

Danny grins and turns away, hiding his face. Neither of them are talking about Junior and Tani any more, Steve’s almost sure of it.

“Well, that’s, um, that good to know,” Danny says, bouncing a little on his toes. “I believe you said something about steaks on the grill?”

Steve snorts, relief washing over him. “I mentioned fish on the grill, actually, but I might have some steaks in the freezer, that is if there’s still power at the house-” He breaks off, distracted by the look on Danny’s face, fond and happy and excited. It’s a good look on him.

Steve reaches out to adjust Danny’s shirt collar, fiddles with it, and then sets his hand on his shoulder. Danny’s body is radiating heat under his wet shirt. Danny just keeps grinning back at Steve, his smile stretching across his face. 

Steve wonders what would happen if he kissed Danny right here, on Waikiki beach, in the rain. 

But then there’s a painful squeal of tires and a loud crash. Steve drops his hand from Danny’s shoulder as they both focus their attention on the road. Horns are blaring, people are shouting, and it’s clear that whatever was about to happen between them – if in fact anything was about to happen – has been put on hold once more.

There’s a long moment, when Steve knows they need to go see what happened, and Danny does too, but they can’t quite bring themselves to move.

“Rain check?” Danny finally asks.

“Yeah. Rain check.”

There’s a burst of thunder, and they both start to laugh as they jog towards the commotion. Rain check, indeed. Steve tries not to be too disappointed. He knows they’ll have another opportunity, just like this one. They’ve had a dozen before. The question is whether next time, one of them will make a move.

He hadn’t been optimistic, before today. But now he thinks maybe the odds are turning in their favor.


	4. 9.04

“You just missed Duke.” Steve stepped back and let Danny into the house, taking the six-pack of beer out of his hand.

“Yeah?” Danny strode into the living room and crouched down to give Eddie’s head a rub. Steve couldn’t help notice that Danny looked skinnier these days, his dress pants not as snug around certain areas as they used to be. Not that he was keeping track, or anything.

Steve pulled his eyes away from Danny’s ass and tried to steer his thoughts towards a more appropriate topic, even if it was a less pleasant one. “Thanks for coming over. I, uh, wasn’t sure you’d want to.” They almost always got together at Steve’s after work these days, to work on details for the restaurant or just hang out. But today when Steve had tossed out his usual “see you later,” Danny had hesitated before agreeing. It had planted a little seed of worry in Steve’s chest, one that still hadn’t gone away.

Danny rose, his eyes narrowing even as he gave Eddie a final pat. “What gave you that idea?”

Steve shrugged. “Dunno.” Danny had definitely seemed off that afternoon, even as they wrapped up the case rather easily. But he didn’t know why.

Danny shoved his hands in his pockets, looking around the room, probably more an attempt to avoid looking at Steve than anything else. “Let me guess, Duke’s going to his hearing tomorrow.”

Was that what was still bothering Danny? Steve had to admit, he hadn’t been completely listening to Danny rant at him while he was underwater searching for the dismembered feet. 

“Yeah, Danny, he is. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Duke’s a good man, he deserves to have his name cleared.”

Danny grunted. “Of course Duke’s a good man, did I say he wasn’t? I never said that.”

“Well, then, what’s got your panties in a twist? He’s doing the right thing.”

“According to you.”

“Yes, according to me.”

“Fine, have it your way, you always do. It’s the McGarrett show, all fucking day long.” Danny moved towards the door, shaking his head. “I should go, I don’t know why I came over here anyway, it’s been a long day.”

Steve was sure now that he was missing something important. He knew Danny was annoyed with him, but the way he was acting signaled a problem more significant than just his usual level of irritation. “No, wait - we were going to talk about the menu design-”

Danny turned and glared at Steve. “Right, the menu design that you have overruled me on, once again. Without consulting me. I should talk to Kamekona, he and I can switch places. I’m clearly supposed to be the silent partner, for all the good it does me to open my mouth.”

“Danny…” Steve began, taking a step towards him. But Danny just backed away. 

“No, the puppy eyes aren’t working on me tonight. I fall for them every time, way more than any rational being should. I need to have my head examined.”

“Danny, come on. You were fine with me taking the lead on the menu design when we talked about it last week. Divide and conquer, remember? We can’t both weigh in on every single little issue.”

“What about the big issues? Are there any issues big enough for me to get a say in? For my opinion to matter at all?” Danny’s voice cracked, and he looked at Steve with a strange sadness in his eyes.

Steve grabbed Danny’s arm. “Hey, you’ve got to tell me what’s really going on here, okay?” Danny twisted to avoid his gaze but Steve just tugged him close until Danny relented, his shoulders sagging as he looked up to meet Steve’s eyes.

Danny stared at him for a long moment, and when he spoke, his voice was full of pain. “I asked you not to jump, Steve,” Danny said softly. “I pretty much begged you not to do it, told you right there in front of that stupid-ass perp that _I didn’t want to lose you._ And you didn’t give a shit. You jumped anyway.”

Suddenly Steve was very aware of the fact that he was still holding Danny by the bicep, that his face was only inches away from his own. But instead of the blissed-out look he had hoped to see on Danny’s face when they next found themselves this close, Danny was miserable. And it was because of Steve. He gave the only excuse he could think of.

“I had to go after him.”

“Yeah? What were you going to do with him in there, build a dungeon in a sandcastle? You know what would have happened if you didn’t jump, Steve? I would have pulled the same damn lever, and the perp would have fallen out the bottom, and I would have cuffed him. Just like what did happen, except you wouldn’t have risked your life for no goddamn reason. And I would have had some reassurance that you cared about-” Danny abruptly stopped talking and yanked his arm out of Steve’s grasp.

“Danny-” Steve didn’t know what he was going to say, but Danny didn’t wait to find out.

“I have to go.” 

And this time Danny left, leaving Steve standing in the middle of his living room, wondering what the fuck just happened. 

Things had been going so well between them lately, Steve had forgotten how awful it felt to fight with Danny, really fight with him. It made his whole body ache. 

Steve went through the motions of his evening routine, straightening up the house and putting the beer Danny had brought in the fridge, just in case he came back. But after a few hours Steve had to admit that he wasn’t coming back, not tonight, anyway. He was starting to realize that Danny wasn’t just mad. He was hurt. And it scared Steve when he realized what that meant.

Danny wasn’t upset about their inability to agree on a menu font, or whether Steve was right about what Duke should do. It was because out in the field today, Danny had handed Steve his heart, and Steve had thrown it away.


	5. 9.05

Steve can’t sleep, going over and over what Danny had said after the stunt Steve pulled at the sand washing plant. Did Danny really think that Steve didn’t care about him? Worse than Danny’s words, though, had been the look of pure hurt on Danny’s face.

Steve has screwed up, again. 

He goes out to the lanai in the dark, Eddie padding along at his feet, and is about to settle down for a good round of self-recrimination when he gets a better idea. 

By the time the team starts filing in to the office the next morning Steve has completed all the paperwork from the day before, and printed it out for Danny’s review. It’s in a neat pile on Danny’s desk, with a few sticky notes poking out to indicate places where he needs Danny’s input. Getting this taken care of will save Danny hours of work, and show how much Steve appreciates him.

On Danny’s desk right next to the detailed report is a big box from Liliha’s. Steve got a dozen coco puffs – everyone’s favorite, of course – but also some of the chocolate and green tea puffs, and a few poi donuts, because he loves how Danny rants about how food shouldn’t be purple on the inside. He’s hoping they’ll bring a smile to Danny’s face.

Steve wanders out of his office and paces a little, trying to position himself in the best possible location to get a good view into Danny’s office but not look too obvious about it. Now that the time has come he’s getting a little impatient. He’s ready to fix this – he even almost knows what he is going to say, probably. So where the hell is Danny?

Lou meanders over and stands next to Steve. Soon Tani and Junior join him. Steve glances at them irritably. Can’t they give him a little space? 

“Um, what are we waiting for?” Tani finally asks. “Do we have a case, or is this just a group meeting thing?”

Steve frowns at them. “I’m waiting for Danny.”

There’s an uncomfortable pause as the team finally realizes what Steve has been looking at – namely, Danny’s empty office. 

“Danny’s not coming in today,” Lou says gently, and Steve feels a wave of panic until Lou’s next words sink in. “He’s got that conference this week, remember?”

He doesn’t, actually, which is almost as worrying as the fact that he’s not going to be able to see Danny now.

Lou gives Steve a considering look, and then wanders away into Danny’s office. Tani trails after him. “That’s the biggest box of coco puffs I’ve ever seen,” Lou says, his voice carrying. “What’d you do this time?”

“Oooh, boss’s in the doghouse,” Tani trills, grabbing the Liliha box off of Danny’s desk and bringing it out. “But it means we can eat these, right?”

Lou doesn’t wait for Steve to answer, just opens the box and smiles with approval. “That’s right, my friend. Can’t let ’em get stale.”

Steve makes a quick escape back to his office, ignoring the concerned look on Junior’s face. Great, just great, he thinks. A nice touch of humiliation to start his day. Just what he needed.

He stares at his computer screen for a few minutes, watching the screensaver slide around. Even his half decent plans go to shit.

“Steve, can I come in?” Lou’s standing at the door, brushing an errant donut crumb off his Hawaiian shirt.

“Yeah, of course.”

Lou tactfully closes the door behind him. It doesn’t do much good in their glass walled offices, but it’s a nice touch.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

Lou is silent for a few moments, and Steve almost thinks that he’s going to leave him at his word, or maybe launch into some rambling story about golf, but no, this is not that kind of day.

“Danny seemed pretty upset yesterday, when he came back to the office.”

Steve nods. “That has been brought to my attention.”

“Something happen with the case? When you guys caught the perp?”

You could say that, Steve thinks. But what got Danny so upset wasn’t really the case itself, and he knows that now. It was Steve being careless with Danny’s feelings, and he’s not about to share this belated revelation with Lou. 

“Just me being an ass again,” Steve finally says. It’s not a bad summary, and Lou can take it any way he wants.

Later that day, Steve sits in his truck, trying to compose a text to Danny. He got out of the office by telling the team he had a meeting with the governor, and it was true, although it’s been over for an hour. He can’t come up with anything to say. He doesn’t want to apologize over text, or over the phone. He’s no good with words. He wants to see Danny in person so he can watch his face. More importantly, he wants to make sure Danny can see Steve’s face.

Danny can read Steve so well. He’s sure that if Danny could see how sorry he is, he would understand. He might even see how much Steve cares about him. How much Danny means to him. There’s just no way to say it in a text, especially when Steve can’t seem to form the words in his own mind.

Procrastinating, he calls Liliha and asks if they deliver to the mainland. They don’t.

Before he gets any closer to texting Danny – or, god forbid, facetiming him and babbling uncontrollably – he gets a call from Junior. They caught a case. Steve sends out a thank you to the universe as he guns the engine and heads back to the Palace, then immediately feels like a jerk for being grateful that crime isn’t taking a break today.

Unsurprisingly, Steve lets himself be so distracted by the mystery of the little girl who is drawing pictures of murder scenes in crayon that he doesn’t reach out to Danny at all. It’s bad, he knows that, and the worry that whatever he says will be woefully inadequate just gets worse as each day goes by.

There’s an undeniable bright spot in his week when they reunite Mollie with her mom, and Steve lets himself relax. Danny will be home soon, and they’ll work things out. They always do.

When Mollie and her mother (and the social worker) finally leave, Steve tells the team to take the rest of the day off.

“At least Danny didn’t have to deal with this one,” he says, offhand. “Cases with little kids really get to him.”

Tani and Junior share a look.

“What?”

“Sir, Danny knows all about this case. Tani and I talked to him about it.”

“Danny was really helpful,” Tani says quickly, as if she’s worried that Steve is going to yell at them for wasting time or something. “He gave us some good hints on how to interview kids and how children affected by trauma behave.”

“Yeah,” says Junior. “There’s a real difference between the two little girls involved in this case and their experiences - you can’t just treat them the same way. On the other hand, they’re both about the same age, so there are a lot of similarities too.”

Junior turns to Tani and they break off into their own conversation about child victims. Lou gives Steve another one of those appraising looks, but Steve can’t think of anything to say that won’t reveal how unreasonably disappointed he feels.

This is exactly what Steve wanted – Danny sharing his expertise with their newest team members. Being a role model for them. It makes complete sense that Tani and Junior had talked to Danny this week.

Steve just wishes that he had, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I had all kinds of things planned out for this chapter but then I was caught off guard when it turned out to be one of those non-Danny eps - let me know what you think!


	6. 9.06

Danny’s standing in line to board his flight back to Oahu when his phone pings with a text.

_Nothing I type is gonna be right. If you’re still speaking to me can I pick u up at the airport?_

Danny wants to laugh at Steve’s stilted overture, but there’s still a knot of hurt in his stomach.

 _Is that your attempt to apologize for not apologizing?_

There’s a pause, and then a series of texts come faster than Danny thought Steve could type.

_I don’t know what the fuck it is._

_I screwed up, I know it. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to do._

_Please let me pick u up at the airport._

Danny shuffles up the line towards the gate attendant, trying to ignore the burn of tears gathering behind his eyes. He knows he’s going to forgive Steve, it’s just a matter of how and when. And from what Tani and Junior told him, Steve suffered plenty over the past week.

And the goof deserves something for spending all night doing paperwork, and buying Danny what Tani described to him as a “giant-ass” box of coco puffs. Even if Danny didn’t get to eat them.

_Okay._

*****  
Things are still a little stilted between them when Steve calls to tell Danny that his friend Carson is dead, found in a downed Cessna with a baby in the back seat. Danny meets Steve at the coroner’s office, watching as Steve pays his last respects to his former team member. He’s not sure if Steve is going to insert himself into the investigation despite NCIS’s warning, but when Danny asks Noelani about Carson’s belongings, Steve plays along. 

Danny could never have guessed that Steve would wind up in cuffs before the day was over. It’s not bad payback for what Steve has put Danny through lately. As Danny teases Steve about breaking him out of his jail cell, he can feel the last of his hurt dissipating. This is what they do – one or the other of them gets into trouble – usually Steve – and then they work their way out of it, together. It’s not likely to change anytime soon.

By the end of the day, mother and baby are safe. Danny is at home frowning into his refrigerator when he hears the familiar sound of a key unlocking his front door.

“Danny? You hungry?” Steve comes into the kitchen and holds up a bag. “I got fish tacos, and beer.”

“Thought you were having a drink with your new girlfriend?”

Steve has the decency to blush. “You know it’s not like that… I’m just trying to maintain open lines of communication. You never know when we might need NCIS’ help.”

Danny peers into the bag Steve is still holding, and pulls out the six-pack of beer. “You, mister Navy Seal, need help from them? That’ll be the day.”

Steve sits down at the table and starts pulling more boxes out. From the looks of it, he’s got enough tacos for ten people. Steve’s still nervous, Danny thinks. He’ll have to do something about that. Frankly, it’s something he’s been thinking about most of the day.

“You know,” he starts, “it’s gonna be nice having Adam on the team.”

Steve nods. “Yeah, I agree. I’m glad you got a chance to talk to him.”

“He thought you sent me to give him a pep talk.”

“A pep talk? What did you say?”

“Well, besides that he smelled ripe as hell, I told him I knew how he was feeling. After me and Rachel split up, I was in a bad place too.” 

Steve hums sympathetically. “Poor guy.”

“Yeah.” Danny takes swig of his beer, and realizes that he isn’t any closer to what he meant to say to Steve when this train of thought left the station. “I told you why me and Rachel broke up, right?”

Steve’s brow narrows. “What do you mean?”

Danny bites his lip, and forces himself not to look away. “At least part of it was that she was tired of being worried about me. She didn’t like being married to a cop, putting her heart on the line for someone who was always in the line of fire.”

Steve shifts in his seat, one of his feet brushing Danny’s under the table. “I can definitely see how that would be hard.”

Here goes, then. “I can’t say I’m unaware of the irony.” 

Steve’s eyes lock onto Danny’s, and Danny is paralyzed, wondering if Steve gets what he’s trying to say. A long minute goes by, and Steve finally blinks, looking down at his beer, and then back up at Danny.

“So where does that leave us?”

Danny bites his lip. He’s not about to give up on Steve because Steve’s job is dangerous, is where it leaves them. Not that they’re married, but… “I’m not saying that Rachel feeling that way was wrong. It’s not a bed of roses, being married to a cop. But at the time, all I kept thinking was that she didn't trust me. I was only taking the risks I had to take, based on the information I had. I knew how to protect myself, as best as I could, and get the job done. But she didn’t trust me to handle that.”

Something changes in Steve’s expression, the muscles in his shoulders relaxing. “Do you trust me, Danny?”

“I do.” God help him, Danny does. “Because if I didn’t, I’d have to either believe that you don’t know what you’re doing, or you don’t care if you live to the end of the day.” Danny looks around at the scene – Steve in his kitchen, dinner on the table, beers in their hands. This is what Steve wants at the end of the day, not to wind up in the morgue. It couldn’t be clearer. 

Danny takes a deep breath. “So I owe you an apology for last week. I kind of lost my cool, getting so mad at you for jumping into the claws of the sand washer.”

Steve opens his mouth to reply, then closes it again and rubs his hand over his face. The tips of his ears go a little red. “That was actually kind of stupid.”

There’s a beat – Danny can’t believe his ears, and then he’s up out of his seat, hands waving despite himself. “Wait – are you admitting that you didn’t need to do that? That maybe, just maybe, there was a better way to catch that idiot than being just as much of an idiot yourself?” Danny shakes his head. “Getting thrown in jail for not following procedure and admitting you were wrong, all in one day – what’s next, you going to let me drive my own car?”

“I missed you, Danno,” Steve says suddenly, his voice soft. 

It catches Danny off-guard, mid-rant, and he stares at Steve helplessly. “I missed you too.” 

Now they’re out there on that limb again, swaying in the breeze. It’s been quite a day. Danny suddenly remembers what started it all, and feels a pang of sadness. He wonders if Carson left someone behind, someone who is really wishing their partner didn’t take ridiculous risks.

“Hey, you know, I’m really sorry about Carson. He seemed like a good guy.” Danny reaches out and squeezes Steve’s shoulder.

“Thanks. He was.” Steve nods slowly, and then turns back to the table. 

Danny can tell Steve doesn’t want to talk any more about Carson, they’ve done that enough today. Danny understands. “So, um, what’d you get?”

“A little of everything,” Steve replies quickly, apparently happy with the change of subject. “Blackened tilapia, and mahi with mango salsa. And some onion rings. And a salmon bowl with rice, in case you didn’t want tacos.”

Danny sits down, joining Steve in opening up the boxes of food. “In case I didn’t want tacos? When has that ever happened? Although it wouldn’t kill you to get regular tacos one of these days, we don’t have to eat Nemo every time.”

“Fish’s good for you,” Steve mumbles, already chewing. “Thanks for breaking me out of jail, by the way.”

“It was a conference room,” Danny admits, their running joke finally running out. “But you’re welcome.” He opens the box of onion rings and inhales the delicious smell of fried food. “It was worth it to see the look on Warren’s face when she read the letter.”

“She did seem surprised that I wasn’t more upset about getting arrested.” Steve smiles at him as he says this, one part confident and two parts smug. It’s one of Danny’s favorite looks on Steve. 

“You weren’t exactly quaking in your boots.”

“I knew you’d come through for me.”

Danny huffs a laugh. “Wish I could take credit for your immunity and means.”

They continue eating in relative silence. Danny catches Steve looking at him intently a few times, and finally he sets down his food and gives Steve a pointed look. “What is it now?”

“What?” Steve responds automatically, then gives in and grins. “I like your hair.”

Danny barely restrains himself from touching his head with his taco-messy fingers to see if his hair is sticking up. “What, you mean my haircut?” He’s pleased with how it turned out, actually. He hadn’t realized Steve had noticed. “I’ve had it for weeks.”

Steve just shrugs. “And I like it.”

It’s just another night hanging out with Steve, eating and drinking and maybe, probably, flirting. Danny knows he’s lucky to have this – to have gone from the depths of his break-up with Rachel to having whatever he has with Steve, a person he can depend on, who depends on him. Someone to care about, and who cares about him in return.

And if they aren’t quite back to where they were a few weeks ago, to that baffling and wonderful moment when Danny thought Steve might just kiss him as the skies opened up on Waikiki beach, well, maybe Danny can convince Steve to have a movie night with him soon, and see where it leads. They’ve got time, and Danny isn’t going to waste any more of it wishing Steve was someone different. Because Steve is amazing exactly the way he is.


	7. 9.07

Steve clicks his glass against Danny’s and they each down their shots in a gulp. Steve wipes a hand over his mouth and then reaches for the bottle, pouring them each another shot.

Danny grins and they touch glasses again. Steve can’t help watching appreciatively as Danny swallows down the dark liquid. Danny’s unbearably handsome tonight, his deep blue shirt bringing out the color of his eyes, clinging to his chest and emphasizing his slim waist. 

“What a day,” Danny says, tilting up his glass to get the last drop out of it, his tongue darting out for an assist. “It was a good thing you did, Steve, for Lila. And your pal Milton.”

Steve nods. It was satisfying, no doubt, telling Milton that they could finally put Lila’s body to rest. Honoring his grandfather in some small way.

Danny’s still talking, running his fingers up and down the bottle of whiskey contemplatively. Steve motions at him and Danny pours them another shot.

“Maybe I’ve been going about this detective thing all wrong,” Danny says. “Should just take a nap every time we catch a case.”

Steve laughs, then clinks his glass against Danny’s and they drink again, a smile in Danny’s eyes all the while. Steve sucks in a deep breath afterwards, mind suddenly flashing back to an image of Danny in a different bar, wearing a boxy suit and gazing up at a lounge singer that looks remarkably like Tani.

“Still can’t believe you solved it in your sleep. Only you, my friend, only you.” Danny leans back, biting his lip in amusement.

“Wasn’t just me,” Steve says, and it’s suddenly critically important that he tells Danny this.

“What do you mean?”

“You were there too. And Tani, and Lou…”

Danny lifts an eyebrow. “What, is this a Dorothy joke? Because I’m from New Jersey, not Kansas.” Danny’s humoring Steve, but it feels good. It always does, with Danny.

“No, Danny, listen. You were there, in my dream. It was 1941, right before the attack on Pearl Harbor, and you were with me. Helping me solve the case.”

“Yeah?” Danny looks pleased now. “What’d I do?”

“You were my partner.”

Danny’s expression is like the sun coming up in the morning, and Steve feels himself melt. 

“I was your partner, huh?”

Steve glances around the restaurant, thinking about the decision they’ve just made. “You’ll always be my partner.”

Danny looks down, almost blushing, and Steve wonders if he’s thinking along the same lines as Steve. That they don’t need to invest their time and money in a restaurant together to prove that they mean something to each other. They’ve moved past that.

“Well,” Danny says, straightening his shoulders a bit. “That deserves another drink, don’t you think?” Danny pours and looks up at Steve, his eyes solemn.

Steve nods slowly in agreement. “It certainly does.” Waiting for Danny to lift his glass, Steve toasts again, and then they drink together. Steve barely feels the burn in his throat this time, and it occurs to him that he might be just a little bit tipsy. He can’t bring himself to care.

Danny is leaning back against the bar now, his elbows resting on the ceramic tile they had spent hours arguing over. Steve’s glance catches on Danny’s arms, his shirtsleeves rolled up as always, muscles moving under his skin as he plays with the glass in his hand. Steve really meant it when he said he had been thinking about how he wanted to spend his time. But just because he doesn’t want to spend it worrying about servers and inventory doesn’t mean he wants to spend less time with Danny. He’s still kind of astonished that Danny isn’t mad.

Steve realizes he must have said some of that out loud when Danny responds. 

“I’m not mad, Steven, I’m really not. Pinky swear.”

“You sure? This was your dream, Danny.”

Danny stills, and then says carefully, “It’s not my only dream.”

Danny lets his head tilt in Steve’s direction, and Steve feels his stomach flip. He doesn’t think he’s mistaking the look of intention in Danny’s eyes, and he swallows hard.

“Danny?” Steve’s not sure what he’s asking, really, but he takes a step closer. Their arms are brushing against each other on the counter, and Danny is still staring at him.

“When you said we should know when to quit…” Danny tilts his chin up, almost defiant. “How about we quit pretending?”

“Pretending?” 

“Pretending there’s nothing here,” Danny lays his palm flat against Steve’s chest, a declaration of sorts that can’t be ignored. Steve can feel his heart beating a mile a minute against Danny’s hand, and then Danny leans in, breath damp against Steve’s cheek. “Pretending you don’t want to kiss me.”

All the blood in Steve’s body rushes south, and he can’t get his lips on Danny’s fast enough. Danny’s arms wrap around him and Steve hauls him in by the back of the neck, keeping them pressed together, angled just where he wants him. Danny’s mouth is open and his tongue is wet, and Steve is grateful for the counter behind his back keeping him upright because holy fuck if this isn’t one of the hottest things he’s ever experienced.

Danny’s running one hand up and down Steve’s back, the other one traveling over Steve’s chest, teasing Steve’s nipples through his thin dress shirt. Steve slides a hand down to Danny’s ass, cupping it and pulling him even closer, and Danny lets out a low moan that goes straight to Steve’s cock.

“Jesus Christ, Steve,” Danny pants out. He’s not kissing him anymore, but his hands are still moving up and down Steve’s sides. Steve keeps his hand on Danny’s ass, although the thought flits through his head that maybe they’re moving a little fast, and he reluctantly slides it up to Danny’s waist. He lets his other hand drift down, circling Danny’s hips with both hands, holding him close as he rests his head on Danny’s shoulder.

“Too much?” Steve asks, nuzzling his face into Danny’s neck. 

“God, no, not really,” Danny says with a choked laugh. His mouth is wet and his cheeks are flushed. “But you know, we’re kinda drunk.”

Steve immediately protests. He doesn’t get drunk that easily. “I’m not drunk.”

“Steve,” Danny insists, grabbing the nearly empty bottle of whiskey and holding it up in the air, which unfortunately pulls Danny’s body a few inches further away from Steve’s. “Look. With your eyes. The evidence, such as it is, is entirely to the contrary.”

“How can you still talk like that when – when you’re drunk?”

“Ah – see - you admit I’m right!”

“Danno,” Steve whines, pulling him back for another kiss. “Don’t wanna stop.” 

Danny sighs against his mouth and they kiss some more, but it’s different this time, somehow even better than before. Danny’s kiss is a sensual drag of his soft lips over Steve’s, and it lights Steve up inside. 

Danny brings a hand up to cup Steve’s jaw, touching Steve’s mouth with the side of his thumb. “Wanted this for so long,” Danny says, tracing Steve’s face with his fingers as they press and lick into each other’s mouths. 

“Me too.” Steve revels in the feeling of Danny’s stubble against his lips, his fingers scratching against his scalp. Danny’s chest presses against him, moving and stretching, his strong arms everywhere. Steve can’t get enough, doesn’t know how he lasted this long without Danny in his arms. Steve slides his tongue along Danny’s and Danny groans, but this time Steve doesn’t let go, slotting a thigh between Danny’s legs and cheering internally when Danny thrusts in against him, rapidly on his way to losing control.

“We can’t do this here,” Danny breaks away. 

“Come back to the house?” Steve asks, still wrapped around Danny, his breath coming fast. 

Danny agrees without hesitation, and Steve rejoices. He did it, he finally did it, he came clean with Danny and he _kissed_ him and the world is still turning, Danny still smiling at him like he’s the best thing ever, eyes glittering with lust and excitement. This day has gone even better than he could possibly have imagined, and it just keeps getting better.


	8. 9.08

Steve parks his truck and twists around for his bag of gear. He’s a little early for the team’s annual Thanksgiving football game, but it’s a beautiful morning and he wants to enjoy it. The game’s an important tradition, and he knows Danny will grill him on every detail when he gets back from New Jersey.

Just then his phone pings with a text. Speak of the devil.

_Thanks for the playlist._

Steve had swiped Danny’s phone a few days ago, adding a playlist with an assortment of songs from local Oahu bands. He figured Danny would enjoy it, something to distract him on the long flight. Maybe he’ll even want to go see one of the groups perform live, and Steve will casually offer to take him. 

Like a date, maybe, kinda.

Steve shakes his head at himself and writes back.

_No problem. How was the flight?_

_Boring. You getting ready for the game?_

_Already here._

_Overachiever._

Steve snorts. _At least I didn’t abandon my team._ He regrets it as soon as he hits send, the stark words on the screen looking harsher than he intended.

_Boo hoo. You’re just worried that the kids are going to trounce you._

Danny is apparently in too good a mood to get upset about Steve’s slip. The last thing Steve wants is to make Danny feel bad about going away to spend time with his family. Family has to come first, and Steve knows how much it means to Danny to be with his parents and siblings today.

Steve recovers and lobs a shot over the bow. _You must be into the holiday booze already if you think Tani and those lugs are going to win._

_Ha. You’re right. Bridget gave us some kind of cranberry champagne thing this morning, think there was vodka in it too. She’s making pumpkin pie martinis with dinner._

_You didn’t eat yet?_

_Not turkey. But Charlie and I made cookies this morning._

_Any left?_

_A few._

_Don’t eat too much, you’ll spoil your appetite._

_Ma says I’m too skinny anyway._

Steve thinks of Danny stretching as he got out of the truck at the airport, looking delicious in his slim fitting jeans and black t-shirt. 

_You’re perfect,_ Steve types back quickly. There’s a pause, and Steve wishes he had just turned this into a phone conversation. He wants to hear Danny’s voice.

 _Thanks._ Danny doesn’t elaborate or hedge, and for some reason it makes Steve’s heart leap.

He jumps as there’s a knock on his window, Tani frowning at him and Junior standing behind her trying to stifle a grin.

_Gotta go play some ball. Talk later?_

_You bet._

******

Steve doesn’t linger long after Thanksgiving dinner. The restaurant isn’t his responsibility now, and he’s thankful for that -- he doesn’t need to stay to make sure everything’s clean and locked up. If there’s a break-in, it won’t be Steve’s fault this time. 

Steve knows his newfound freedom from being a restaurant owner isn’t the only reason he’s anxious to leave. He pushes that thought aside as he says good night to Lou and his family, who have somehow managed to act out the script of a bad sitcom episode over the course of the day. At least no one got hurt, he thinks. That’s another thing to be grateful for.

When Steve gets home he changes out of his clothes into a soft pair of sweatpants and paces around for a few minutes before giving in and calling Danny.

“Steve? Hey,” Danny says, his voice scratchy. “Give me a sec, hold on.”

“I know it’s late, I shouldn’t have called, but…”

“Nah, it’s not so late.”

It’s almost 3 a.m. on the east coast. Steve would like to think that the fact that Danny isn’t complaining about that means that he doesn’t mind, but it’s also possible Danny is too asleep to realize what time it is.

“Did I wake you?”

“Yeah, I guess. But it’s okay. I like the sound of your voice.”

Danny’s words stop Steve in his tracks as warmth spreads through his chest. It’s such a similar sentiment to what Steve himself has been thinking all day, missing Danny’s shouts of glee on the football field, his mumblings when they mull over a case. The sound of his voice at a table crowded with friends, carrying to Steve’s ears regardless of who he’s talking to.

“Well, uh, here I am.”

Danny laughs, low and rumbling. “How was your Thanksgiving?”

Lonely, Steve wants to say, but that’s not really true. He had good people around, his team, their families. He wasn’t really lonely. But there was an empty space where Danny should have been, where he should always be.

Might as well say it. “Missed you. Especially since we were at the restaurant. It looked good, though, you’d have been pleased. Kamekona had it all decorated.”

“Did he make that stuffing we talked about? With the sausage?”

“He did, and you were right, it was amazing.”

“Of course it was amazing, it’s my mom’s recipe. We had it too, although my sister made it yesterday and reheated it today, and it got a little dry.”

“Did she use a low heat? That’s supposed to help.”

Danny starts to answer, and then laughs again. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. It’s not our problem anymore. We are no longer responsible for conjuring up ways to serve food to the masses.”

“It’s true. I signed the papers tonight.”

There’s a long beat. “It’s good timing, really,” Danny says. “I don’t want to spend another minute thinking about food. I don’t want to debate whether the cranberry sauce in the can is evil, or whether marshmallows are more acceptable in sweet potatoes if they’re organic. I’m done. In fact, next year I’m making stuffing from a box.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Steve says, grinning.

“I will. Watch me. And we’ll get gravy in a jar, and buy a pumpkin pie from the bakery section of Foodland.”

Steve doesn’t miss the “we” dropped casually into Danny’s assertion. “What’ll we do for the turkey?”

“Pre-order from Kamekona.”

“It’s a deal, Danny,” Steve says, his voice falling low. “Next year we’re having a casual Thanksgiving. On the lanai, with paper plates and bottles of beer.” Steve holds his breath, expecting Danny to backtrack once he realizes that he and Steve can’t have Thanksgiving together, not if Danny’s in New Jersey for the holiday like usual.

But Danny doesn’t backtrack. Quite the opposite.

“If you’re in, I’m in,” Danny says. There’s something in his voice that makes Steve suspect Danny is talking about more than just where to spend the holidays. 

“I’m in, Danno,” Steve says, proud of himself for keeping his voice steady. “One hundred percent.” 

“Good, then,” Danny replies. “Good.” Steve hears blankets rustling, figures Danny’s turning over in bed. But he’s not at all prepared for what he hears next.

“Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you, uh, want to mess around?”

Steve blinks hard, feeling almost lightheaded, and leans against the arm of the couch. His mind is spinning, but there’s really only one answer to that question.

“Yeah?”

Danny hums, amused, but it just goes straight to Steve’s dick. He’s half hard already, and they haven’t even gotten started.

“You in bed?”

Steve turns to the stairs and goes up them two at a time. “Almost.” He flops down on his back, hand reaching for his waistband. “You sure this is okay? You’re not bunking with Grace and Charlie?”

Danny stifles a groan. “Do you think I would do this with my kids in the room? How are you thinking about them right now? What are you, some kind of monster?”

“Sorry, sorry.” Steve takes a deep breath, hand shaking as he puts the phone down and sets it on speaker. “I’m in bed. I’ve got my sweats on-”

“The dark gray ones with the pocket on the ass?”

“You been looking at my ass, Danny? Yes, those.”

“’Course I’ve been looking at your ass, prima donna, what do you think,” Danny mumbles. “Take the pants off, boxers too.”

“All right, all right. What are you-”

“Nothing.”

Steve’s breath whooshes out of him, although his next thought is “Aren’t you cold?”

“Steve, focus. No, I am not cold. I’m under a very thick, heavy comforter, keeping toasty warm while I waited for your call.”

The thought of Danny lying naked in bed, waiting for Steve, while Steve went through the motions of finishing dinner and driving home is ridiculously arousing. “Holy shit, Danny.”

“You touching yourself yet?” Danny boldly asks.

Steve isn’t -- in fact his hands are fluttering around his body like confused butterflies. “Should I?”

There’s that amused hum again, and Steve is struck by a longing to touch Danny so strong it would knock him over if he wasn’t already lying down.

“Take pity on a guy, Danno, we haven’t exactly done this before,” Steve says.

“Okay, okay, you’re right, I’m sorry. This is what we’re gonna do – you ready?”

“Yeah.”

“You in bed, clothes off?”

“Yes.”

“You thinking about me?” Danny’s voice drops half an octave, and Steve shivers.

“Yes.”

“You imagining me next to you, kissing you? Kissing your neck, your collarbone?”

“Yeah, that’s good, Danny.”

“Using a little teeth - you like that, right?”

“Fuck, you know I do.” 

“Okay, Steve, touch your chest now. Just lightly. I’m doing it too. Run your fingers over your skin.”

“Okay.” Steve rubs at his nipples, pulls on them a little. Danny did that to him, over his shirt, the last time they were together, and it works almost as well this time.

“How you doing?”

“Good, Danny, real good.” Steve imagines it’s Danny’s hands on his chest, imagines sliding his hand down to Danny’s hip, stroking his hands over the curve of his ass. Giving it a squeeze and making Danny squirm against him.

“All right, let one hand drift down now. Touch your cock.”

Steve hears Danny suck in a breath and he knows Danny’s doing it too. “Wish it was my hand on you.” He imagines how it would feel to take Danny’s cock in his hand, hard and hot.

“Wish I was there too,” Danny replies, and he’s definitely breathing faster now. “Wish I could see you, fuck.”

“Danny, I… I’m not gonna last long…”

“Just a little more,” Danny rasps. “Steve…”

Steve’s on the edge, picturing Danny there too, muscles tight and aching for release. “Wanna put my mouth on you, Danny, feel you come down my throat-”

That’s apparently enough to do it for Danny, as Steve hears a grunt and stifled moan, just before his own orgasm takes him over, his hips bucking as he thrusts into his hand. When Steve recovers enough for lucid thought, he’s a little surprised at the words that Danny coaxed out of him. 

“Danny… wow…”

“Fuck, Steve, that was…”

“Yeah.” Steve shifts and reaches for a tissue, wipes his belly. “Hope your house doesn’t have thin walls.”

“I think Bridget’s drinks knocked everyone out. And Grace and Charlie are actually at my sister’s with their cousins, so we’re good.”

“You couldn’t have told me that earlier?”

“I was otherwise occupied, Steven.”

Steve grins. “Okay, I’ll accept that.”

“Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ll pick me and the kids up at the airport when we get home, right?”

“’Course I will, Danny.”

“Okay. Good.” There’s a pause, and that blanket shuffling sound, and when Danny speaks again his voice is muffled by his pillow.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Steve.”

Steve wishes Danny the same, and hangs up the phone. Danny Williams is a sap, and a pain in ass. And also a hell of a lot of fun to have phone sex with. Steve lets himself drift off to sleep, the echo of Danny’s voice in his ears, back where it should be. It’s a happy Thanksgiving indeed.


	9. 9.09

Danny is a little disappointed that he had to bring Charlie back to Rachel’s after the release party at Other Realms, but the view as he walks through Steve’s house and out onto the lanai does a lot to cheer him up. Steve is kicking back in a chair, eyes closed, late afternoon sun turning his skin bronze.

There’s a flutter in Danny’s chest at the sight. He and Steve haven’t had any time alone together to speak of since Danny got back from Jersey, since he’s had the kids with him all week. Danny is hoping that tonight he might finally get a chance to see up close and personal what he experienced over the phone.

Steve barely twitches as Danny approaches, however. Whether he’s tired, blissed out in the sun, or just teasing, Danny figures he’ll play it cool for now. Unless they catch a very poorly timed case, there’s no rush.

A copy of “The Mysterious Night Sentinel” is lying on the ground by Steve’s feet, open to the “Book ‘em, Danno” page. Danny grins. Leave it to Jerry to immortalize their catch phrase. Danny looks from the comic book to Steve, still pretending to sleep, and wonders if there’s any connection.

“Hey, babe,” Danny leans over and presses a quick kiss to Steve’s forehead. Steve blinks his eyes open, and Danny shifts so that he blocks the sun shining in Steve’s eyes.

“Hey,” Steve says, hands coming up to rub his face.

“You okay?”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine.”

This isn’t exactly the reception Danny was hoping to get tonight, but he knows Steve well enough not to be offended. When something is bothering him, Steve doesn’t cover it up in front of Danny, and that’s worth more than a roll in the hay.

Danny sits down in the chair next to Steve and stretches his feet out in front of him. “Any chance you wanna talk about this Batman thing?” 

Steve grunts. “Nothing to talk about.” He turns to Danny and raises an eyebrow. “Where’s the beer?”

Steve’s playing the Neanderthal card, but Danny can play along if that’s what he needs. “You said you had plenty.”

“Well, maybe I wanted you to get some more. Or at least, you know, bring me one.”

Danny pushes out of the chair and heads back into the house. He could really use a beer. “You’re deflecting,” he calls over his shoulder. “Think about what you’ve done, and I’ll be right back.”

In the kitchen Danny loads up a bucket with ice and a six-pack’s worth of cold Longboards, and snags a bag of pretzels and a pack of oreos for good measure. They’ll probably order a pizza soon, but it isn’t healthy to drink on an empty stomach.

“You’re actually a lot like Batman, you know,” Danny comments when he returns, handing Steve a beer. The idea has been haunting Danny ever since their conversation in the car about superheroes. Danny isn’t sure how Steve thought he could avoid the obvious comparison between himself and Bruce Wayne, or between himself and the Night Sentinel, for that matter – parents dead, father investigating dastardly deeds, son out to avenge his father’s death.

“Nah, I’m just a regular guy,” Steve says flatly.

“One who trains for years to bring himself to the height of physical perfection, in order to seek out justice.”

Steve smirks. “You think I’m the height of physical perfection? Thank you, Danno.”

“Okay, you’ve got me there,” Danny admits, enjoying the brief look of surprise on Steve’s face when Danny doesn’t brush it off as a joke. Steve may not be as young as he once was, but he’s perfect in Danny’s book. “But seriously, now that this fascinating chapter in Oahu history has come to a close, are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

“What’s with this sudden need to deconstruct superheroes, Danny? Can’t we just let poor Gene Wahale be?”

“You’re saying it didn’t feel weird to you, maybe bring up some… difficult thoughts, looking into Gene’s investigation into his father’s murder?”

Steve pauses, finishing off his beer and taking another one from the bucket. “If I got all worked up about every case involving a father and son, I wouldn’t get much work done.”

“This isn’t exactly your ordinary case.”

Steve scowls. “Fine, I’m a messed up little kid just trying to be a superhero so I can catch the bad guys who killed my parents. Now can we just relax and enjoy the evening?”

“That’s not what I meant-”

“No? Then what did you mean?” There’s an edge of anger in Steve’s voice, and Danny isn’t sure how it happened.

“Hey, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Danny holds up his hands. “I didn’t mean to piss you off, or insult you, or whatever’s going on here.” Maybe his superpower really is irritating people. “I just wanted to let you know that…” He trails off. It’s hard to speak all of a sudden, especially with Steve glaring at him.

“Let me know what?”

“I think you _are_ kind of like Batman. Your parents’ deaths’ _did_ mess you up, and look what you did in response – you trained to be one of the most elite soldiers on the planet, and now you fight crime. You save the world – or at least the island – on a regular basis. You’re one up on Batman, too, because you don’t have a fortune to use to build your crazy tech, you’ve got to go through all the red tape and requisition it from the government. You are a superhero, Steve, a real one. Making a difference and saving people’s lives.”

Steve looks away, biting at his lip. “There are plenty of people I haven’t saved.”

Danny knows this all too well, it’s part of the job. “We try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody, but we have to find a way to live with that, or next time maybe nobody gets saved.”

Steve starts to grumble something in response, and then turns sharply towards Danny. “Did you just quote Captain America at me?”

Danny grins. “If you’re Batman, I get to be Cap.” 

“That makes no sense,” Steve protests. “They’re not even in the same universe.”

“So, we’ll do a crossover.”

Steve shakes his head at Danny and pulls his phone of out his pocket. “It’s clearly time to order dinner. I think the beer is going to your head.”

*****  
It’s hours later, after dinner and beer and getting progressively closer together on the couch as they watch a movie (of course Danny had argued for something with Captain America, while Steve voted for one of Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, just to keep the debate going; they finally settled on Deadpool 2, because it’s hilarious). Steve grabs the remote and turns off the television, the strains of Pat Benetar’s “We Belong” still echoing in Danny’s head.

Steve doesn’t move to get up, keeping his arm over Danny’s shoulders where it’s been for most of the past hour. It’s dark in the room, a trickle of light coming in through the windows, and it’s pretty clear what might happen next. Suddenly Danny feels almost shy.

“Do you, um,” he starts, but then Steve shifts and presses him back against the couch with a fierce kiss, big hands pushing hard against his shoulders. It goes on until Danny’s breathless, and then Steve lets up. Danny can feel Steve’s smile against his cheek, and his breath hot on his skin.

“Oh,” he says gracelessly, and Steve chuckles. 

“Want to go upstairs?”

There’s only one answer to that. “Sure.”

For all Danny’s anticipation, it turns out that sex with Steve is a lot like other things he does with Steve – mostly they move together easily, they laugh when things get awkward, and they can’t seem to decide who’s in charge. They clunk heads as they each attempt to get into position to blow the other, and then Danny’s foot gets caught in the sheets and he swears until Steve yanks the sheet off the bed, almost taking Danny with it. 

Finally they’re both naked and lying facing each other, Steve’s hands running up and down Danny’s sides and Danny exploring every inch of tanned and inked skin on Steve’s body. Steve grabs Danny’s ass and pulls them close, and damn, it’s good.

“Just like this for now?” Steve stutters out, questioning. He’s gotten a handful of lube from somewhere and is stroking Danny’s dick with it, his own, too, and thrusting them together.

Danny’s on board, sucking kisses into Steve’s neck. No need to make this complicated. Steve’s leg comes over Danny and pulls them closer, coarse hair rubbing against Danny’s skin. Danny tries to get his hand in the mix, wanting to feel Steve’s heavy weight, and Steve kind of elbows him out of the way, finally flipping them so that Danny’s on his back and Steve is looming over him.

“Stop it, just let me-” Steve pants.

“I just wanted to-” Danny doesn’t have the breath to explain, and he doesn’t really care, because now Steve has got one hand on his dick and another pulling at a sensitive nipple, and his whole body is on fire.

“You can’t even stop arguing during sex, can you?” Steve says, and lets Danny take a hold of his dick, moaning low as Danny gets a rhythm going. Soon there’s no more arguing, just heat and fantastic friction. 

Danny is teetering on the brink, and he hears himself letting out a stream of pleas, “oh yes oh god Steve yes…” Steve’s doing much the same, his “that’s it, there, Danny, right there” the hottest thing Danny has ever heard. 

Not letting up for a minute, Steve drags a hand over Danny’s body, up and down and back again, then landing at the jut of his hip and holding tight as they grind into each other until there’s nowhere left to go. Danny feels Steve come first with a shout, shuddering above him, and it pushes Danny right over the precipice, white-hot pleasure shooting through his body.

As they come down, Steve flops over the edge of the bed and comes back with the discarded sheet, using it to wipe up the mess on Danny’s stomach. Then he gathers Danny under his arm, and Danny lets him, cuddling up close on his chest and not even caring about how ridiculously sappy he feels.

Steve trails a finger along Danny’s side, then spans his palm across Danny’s waist, possessively.

“You’re right, you are like Captain America,” Steve says, his voice soft.

Danny hums, pleased, brain still too fuzzy to parse this. “Okay. Thanks for the compliment.”

“I mean, you know, maybe pre-serum Steve Rogers. Tiny, can’t walk away from an argument-”

“Tiny?” Danny jerks the pillow out from under Steve’s head and swats him with it. “I’m gonna kill you.”

“Well, not everywhere…” Steve drawls, giving Danny’s cock a pointed look. “But I like it.” Steve drags Danny back down into his embrace, arms going all the way around his shoulders. “I like that I can wrap myself around you, hold you like this.” Steve’s voice trails off. When he speaks again, there’s a trace of uncertainty in his tone. “That’s okay, right?”

Danny pulls away enough to look at Steve. “Is there anything about what just happened that makes you think it wouldn’t be okay? Anything that makes you think I’m not one hundred percent, head over heels into you, mister superhero Seal?”

“I dunno,” Steve says. “We’ve never exactly done this before. It’s different, in bed…”

“It’s not. It’s not different. It’s just right, just like always.”

Steve’s face lights up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’ll even play Robin for you sometime, if that’s what turns you on.”

Steve freezes, and Danny laughs, Steve quickly joining in. “You’ve got a dirty mind, Williams.”

“Holy kink, Batman,” Danny teases, loving the blush on Steve’s face. 

“Stop it,” Steve protests. “I’m too old to go another round, it’ll have to wait ‘til morning.”

“Fine. But settle down, you make a lousy pillow when you’re squirming.”

“Sir, yes sir,” Steve says, his voice light and happy as he gathers Danny against him once again. Danny feels him press kisses into his hair, and he lets himself drift off, secure in the knowledge that tonight all is well in Gotham.


	10. 9.10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might not seem to fit with what we find out happens in Episode 9x11, but more will be explained in chapter 9.10. (Ah, the challenges of writing a coda series!)

When Danny comes back from his trip to the mainland, Steve doesn’t meet him at the airport. He isn’t sure he would be able to hold it together on the drive back with Danny and Grace, hearing all about the colleges Grace visited and her unbridled excitement for the future. Seeing the pride in Danny’s eyes. Not when Steve’s so strung out, so messed up.

But Steve knows when their flight lands. Danny texts when he’s on his way over. He’ll be here any minute.

Steve looks around his kitchen one more time, needing to make sure that there’s no trace of blood left behind, no glaring signs of the attack. He hasn’t talked to Danny about it, although Steve knows Lou filled him in, once Danny was on his way back to the island already and the crisis was over.

He’s still glad he didn’t let Adam call Danny, even though Danny’s going to rip him a new one for it. At this point Steve probably won’t be able to feel it anyway.

With Joe’s last words, he had praised Steve for looking out for his people. Steve’s going to take this as approval, from Joe at least, for his decision to keep Danny out of harm’s way this time. He’ll take what he can get.

He can’t let himself think about whether they might have had better odds at the ranch if Danny had been there. Because while that might be true, it also could have been Danny bleeding out on the floor, or with a fatal shot to the liver. It might have been Danny that Steve said goodbye to on an empty field, with the sun painting pictures in the sky.

He can’t let himself think about it, but he’s thinking about it anyway, in whorls and circles and spirals that won’t let him rest. 

He hears the front door open and close, and sags with relief.

“Hey, babe, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Strong arms wrap around his shoulders, and Steve digs his face into the thin fabric of Danny’s shirt. Steve’s thoughts quiet with Danny’s touch, and he wants to bury himself in him and never come out.

“Kitchen’s floor’s not so comfortable. How about we take this into the living room?”

Steve doesn’t remember sliding to the floor. But right now, he can’t be bothered to figure it out. He lets Danny help him to his feet, and they stumble together to the couch, settling close, Steve clutching Danny’s shirt in his fists.

“I’m so sorry about Joe,” Danny murmurs. “So sorry. He was a good man. I know how much he meant to you.”

Steve starts to reply, and chokes on his words, swallowing them and rubbing his face against Danny’s chest.

“For all his crazy, he was like a father to you. You loved him, and he loved you too.”

It’s like Danny can see straight into his heart, the wounded place still throbbing from his loss, and this makes Steve cry even harder. Danny _knows_ him.

It’s what makes Joe’s death even worse, because Joe gave Steve the perfect opening to tell him about Danny, and Steve chickened out. Steve’s falling apart, clinging to Danny like the proverbial lifeboat, counting on him to get him safely to shore. But Steve is so used to hiding that he missed his chance to let Joe know that he isn’t alone. Or to give Danny the credit he deserves.

He’s not sure how to say any of this to Danny. “I didn’t…” Steve starts. “I should have…” But the tears are coming in earnest now, hard, wracking sobs, and he can’t get any words out.

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re okay.” Danny holds him and rubs his back, until Steve can finally catch his breath.

“Danny, there’s something… I need to tell you something.”

Danny sits back, and Steve can see now how wrecked he looks, too, dark circles under reddened eyes. “Are you taking off again to an undisclosed location to be a target for armed thugs? Because if so, I really don’t want to hear it.”

“No, I…”

“Lou said you weren’t in any danger right now, that the Omar situation was under control.”

“Yeah, as far as I know.” Not in any more danger than usual, anyway.

“Well then I vote we wait until morning, for…” Danny lets out a long breath, and looks away from Steve, face drawn with exhaustion. “Well, for anything. Especially talking. Because I haven’t slept in a lot of hours, and I’m guessing you haven’t either. And I don’t want to say anything I’ll regret.”

Danny’s trying to tamp down his anger, Steve can tell, in the face of Steve’s abject sadness. Steve gets it. He’d be pissed, too, more than, if Danny had kept him in the dark about something that threatened his safety. He figured at the time that Danny would get over it, but being face to face with Danny’s hurt and echoes of stale fear forces him to remember that there’s more than one way to lose him.

But Danny’s still holding him, one arm around his shoulders, the other stroking restlessly down Steve’s uninjured arm. He doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“You’ll stay?” Steve asks.

Danny’s shoulders slump, and he bumps his forehead tiredly against Steve’s. “’Course I’m gonna stay, you goof. Least then it’ll be two against one if some hired assassin comes crashing through your door. Again.”

Steve musters what little energy he has left and stands, clasping Danny’s hand as he goes. They make it upstairs and strip to their boxers without ceremony, climbing under the covers and arranging themselves close, Danny curled protectively around Steve.

It reminds Steve of the night after the sensory deprivation tank, except then they hadn’t acknowledged what they felt for each other. Suddenly it’s important to mark the difference, and Steve turns over, cradling Danny’s jaw and pulling him in for a long, hard kiss.

“Mmm,” Danny hums, pulling back just enough to breathe, while letting his lips slide over Steve’s. “Love you.”

Danny says it so easily, so matter of factly. Not lightly – Steve knows Danny would never say it lightly. But like it’s normal, obvious. Like it goes without saying.

Not tonight, though. “I love you too, Danny. I should say it more often. I shouldn’t be afraid to say it.”

Danny, tired as he is, pushes at Steve’s arm and raises an eyebrow at him. “What’s that supposed to mean? You say it all the time.”

Shit, Steve thinks. Sleeping first would probably have been a better idea.

“Not where anyone else can hear it.”

Danny starts to argue with him – because Steve has said “I love you” to Danny dozens of times in front of the team. But not since they’ve been together. Not with the new meaning, the _“I’m in love with you”_ meaning. 

Danny flops over on to his back. “I really don’t think we should talk about this right now, babe.”

“But I-“

“We knew we were going to have to deal with it. Whether to tell anyone, what to tell them. But honestly, I am so sick with worry right now, worried about how you’re dealing with losing Joe and international terrorists being after you and your whole goddamn Seal team dying on you,” Danny barely pauses to catch a breath, “and at the same time I’m so fucking angry at you for letting me keep gallivanting through the ivy leagues while it all went down… I really don’t think I could do my best work right now.” Danny’s still gazing up at the ceiling, but he hasn’t let go of Steve, one hand latched on to Steve’s wrist.

“Danny, please…” Steve doesn’t even know what he’s trying to say, just that he needs this not to break them, for it not to be too much for Danny to handle. For Danny to keep understanding.

Danny turns and looks at Steve, and then gathers him up in his arms. It feels so good, the strength of Danny’s muscles holding him tight, his stubbly face against his cheek. It’s an escape right now, he knows it, but he can’t bring himself to turn it away. 

“I promise you, Steve, we’re gonna work this out,” Danny says, low and intense. “Whatever you’re thinking, whatever you’re freaking out about, we’ll work it out. Together. Like every other time. Okay?”

“Okay.”

*****  
Sleep had come faster than Steve had thought it would, and when he finally rouses, it’s to bright sunlight coming through the window and the aroma of strong coffee.

Danny isn’t in bed any longer, but the mug on the nightstand is steaming so he must have just left it for Steve. Steve hauls himself upright, his body aching and sore, and sips at the coffee until it’s cool enough to drink it down.

He can hear Danny downstairs, muttering to himself about something and clicking away on his laptop, so he heads into the bathroom and takes a long, hot shower. He puts off assessing all his cuts and bruises – there’s nothing major, which is a miracle, really – and dries quickly. He takes a few minutes to shave. Maybe if he looks presentable enough, Danny will go easy on him.

Finally, after pulling on shorts and a t-shirt, Steve pads downstairs.

Danny’s at the table, nodding as he types.

“Work?” Steve asks.

“No. Grace sent me a draft of one of her college essays. She doesn’t like it when Rachel proofreads them, says she’s too picky. She just wants to me to let her know ‘if it’s okay.’” Danny looks up at Steve. “I have no idea what she wants me to do.”

Steve laughs at Danny’s perplexed expression, and it feels good. Danny isn’t lying in wait to ambush him with accusations or threats. He’s just up early, bringing him coffee and emailing with Grace. Danny’s here for him, just like he said he’d be.

“Can we talk now?” Steve asks. There’s not going to be a better time.

“Sure.” Danny turns back to his computer for a moment to save his work.

“Outside?”

Danny nods, and they go out on to the lanai. Steve keeps walking down to the edge of the water, until the waves lap over his feet. Danny follows him, hands in his pockets.

“You’re doing my laundry,” Danny says conversationally, as he comes up to Steve and bumps their arms together. The waves are soaking the hems of his jeans. The fact that Danny isn’t protesting more says something about the progress of their relationship that Steve can’t parse right now.

The sea is glinting in the early morning sun, and the air is already warm. Steve curls his toes in the sand, feels the soft grit against his skin. 

“Joe’s been living in Nairobi. Not consulting anymore.”

Steve’s not looking at Danny, but out of the corner of his eye, he sees him tilt his head, listening.

“He’s got – had – a girlfriend. Zahra.” It feels important to say her name. “He told me-” Steve’s voice catches, and he swallows and goes on. “He told me not to wait as long as he did to find someone. Said he sat out too long, and I shouldn’t do the same thing.”

Squaring his shoulders, he turns to face Danny. “I should have told him, then, about you and me. I didn’t.”

Steve sees Danny take this in, turn it over in his head. He thinks he can pinpoint the moment Danny decides how to respond. But what Danny says couldn’t have surprised him more if he’d dove into the ocean and swam away like a mermaid.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why, exactly,” Danny says, moving in front of Steve and putting his hands on his forearms, “why _should_ you have told him?”

“’Cause it’s not fair to you. It’s not… right.”

Danny shakes his head a little, not satisfied with this. “I’m not upset about that. That doesn’t bother me, you know that. That isn’t the issue. Try again. Why isn’t it right?”

“Because – it’s just wrong.” And Danny’s right, that’s not the only problem with Steve’s silence. “Joe wants – wanted - me to be happy. I should have told him I was happy.”

“Are you happy?”

Steve’s chest clenches. “You know I am.”

Danny nods, not arguing, a little smile reflecting how this thought could derail the conversation. Danny does know, and fuck, if that doesn’t mean a lot.

“You really think Joe didn’t know that? That you’re in a good place? That you’re living a good life?” Danny asks.

Steve thinks back on their conversations at the ranch, and at the end, by the ponderosa pine. About Joe’s reassurance that Steve took care of his “people.” And about an earlier conversation that day, where Joe got him talking about what was going on in his life, and Steve told him all about how he and Danny were famous comic book heroes now, about Charlie’s favorite bedtime story, about how Grace is sailing through high school.

“I dunno. Maybe.”

“Would it make you feel better to tell him?”

Steve looks at Danny like he’s nuts, but Danny is being serious. “It’s too late.”

“Is it?” Danny reaches over and cups Steve’s cheek. “You can tell him now. Or not. But there’s no ‘should’ in this, no right and wrong. This – what we have-” Danny motions between them, then grabs Steve’s hand, “this is ours.”

Danny pulls Steve down for a kiss, one that leaves no room for doubt. “We will tell people when and if we’re ready. The fact that we haven’t done it yet doesn’t make it any less real. Does that work for you? ‘Cause it works for me.”

Steve feels something inside him release, something hurtful and worrisome float away on the waves, washed away by the force of Danny’s belief in him. In them, together. “Yeah, Danny. That works for me.”

Steve wraps an arm around Danny’s shoulder, tugging him close, and looks out over the water. It’s an entirely different view than sunset over the field by Joe’s land, but just like that was for Joe, this place is home for Steve. With this man. No matter who knows it.


	11. 9.11

His fantasy was perfect, Danny thinks. He dreamed it up in his head on the long flight back to Oahu after looking at colleges with Grace. Danny would have understood, of course, why Steve didn’t want to pick him up from the airport. He would have gladly driven to Steve’s house, finding his friend waiting nervously for Danny’s arrival, and swept him up in his arms, giving Steve the love and comfort he so clearly deserves. They would have argued, a little, but after a night tangled together, and a conversation down by the water in the light of the morning, it all would have been okay. Steve would have been grateful, and relieved, and quite obviously head over heels in love. Danny would kiss Steve breathless, they would reaffirm their commitment to each other, and life would go on, happily ever after.

But it didn’t happen that way. That was all just Danny’s overactive imagination, a fairy tale he told himself. The reality is that Steve’s still in Montana, and he’s hardly said a word to Danny or anyone else on the team since Joe’s death.

Frankly Danny’s starting to question whether he’s been imagining his whole relationship with Steve. Maybe it hadn’t meant as much as he thought it had. Maybe there wasn’t really a “relationship” at all, just some fooling around, a way to release the tension of their jobs as much as anything else. After all, it had really just been some making out, and one (hot, blazing hot) evening of sex. Maybe whatever it was pales in importance when weighed against Steve’s loss of the man who had meant so much to him. 

Or maybe Steve just isn’t ready to share his grief with Danny. 

Danny hopes it’s the latter, because if it is, he gets it. It’s another layer of pain on top of everything else, to think that Steve still can’t trust Danny with this, or that he thinks he’s protecting him, or that he needs to be stoic. But it’s better than thinking that Steve doesn’t care.

And Danny fully understands the need to grieve, to give yourself over to the pull of sadness and loss. Steve clearly wants space, whether it’s good for him or not. Danny just wishes that he’d answer the phone, or respond to his texts with more than a word or two. He thought Steve had let him in. Joe’s death seems to have caused Steve to throw all his walls back up.

Danny aches to be with Steve, to be the one to comfort him, like he imagined he would. And he kind of hates himself for it, for being so in love with this man that he’s so ridiculously, piteously hurt by Steve’s distance. He figures that the pain he feels now is his own damn fault, for letting himself fall for someone so hard.

There’s another part of Danny, though, down under his insecurities, that believes in Steve too much to genuinely doubt his intentions. Danny knows that Steve cares about him, knows it deep down in his bones. Steve’s proven it time and time again. It’s just that right now Steve’s single-minded dedication is focused on mourning Joe, and apparently it doesn’t leave room for Danny.

Danny debates whether to just say fuck it and hop on a flight to Montana. It wouldn’t be the first time one of them had pushed into the other’s space, invited or not. The team talks about it too, trying to figure out a way to help their leader. They all love him, and want the best for him. But the general consensus seems to be that they should respect Steve’s wishes and let him grieve in peace.

It doesn’t sit right with Danny, though. After a few weeks go by, he manages to get Kono on the phone, and they talk for hours. Danny never comes out and asks her what he should do, and she never offers an opinion. But when they get off the phone, Danny packs a bag.

It has to do with ‘ohana, Danny thinks, trying not to spin more love story fantasies as he sits on yet another flight. It’s what he’d do for Kono, what he’d do for Chin. When Danny’s brother died, Steve was there for him. Because even if they aren’t _together,_ even if there isn’t really any “them,” they’re family. 

As the plane glides over the Pacific, Danny tries to get himself in the right frame of mind to see Steve again. Montana isn’t the furthest he’s gone to find Steve, although this time the battle is nowhere near as black and white as it’s been in the past. Steve may be fighting the men who killed Joe, but Danny is fighting for Steve. Not just for their relationship, such as it is, although he’s certain that’s worth fighting for. But Danny remembers how wrecked he was after Matt died, and what he was willing to do. (Anything. Danny was willing to do _anything_ ). He hopes Steve isn’t in that dark place now, but he suspects he is. If he is, at least if he lets Danny join him, he won’t be there alone.

*****

Steve hugs Danny tight when he shows up at the ranch, fingers digging into Danny’s shoulders through his leather jacket. While their reunion isn’t all Danny hoped it would be (what, no kiss, McGarrett? Not even out here with no one around for miles?), Steve does seem pleased to see him. But then Catherine steps out to say hello, claiming her territory like she always has, and all bets are off.

They’re not sleeping together, Steve and Catherine, but then again Steve really isn’t sleeping at all. Danny tells himself that the state of Steve’s beard and his overall level of personal hygiene doesn’t really scream date night. But Steve has reached out to Catherine for help, at least of an operational nature, while making Danny cool his heels back at home. It stings.

Danny sacks out on a couch, his back aching in the morning as a result. He’s hardly going to complain about that as they head off to Laos with their band of badass military brothers - CIA, MI6, Seal team members old and young… and Danny, a cop ripe for retirement. He supposes he’s lucky Steve lets him come along at all.

Steve confronts Hassan, and he and Catherine take down Greer. Danny still doesn’t really understand why Greer did what she did, and now she’s dead, so who knows if they’ll ever find out. Steve crashes on the plane, afterwards, the exhaustion plainly showing on his face along with his healing cuts and bruises. Danny can’t help but let himself look, just for a little while, wishing he understood better what was going on in Steve’s mind. He wonders if there’s any more room for him, now that Steve’s latest dragon has been slain.

Danny shivers and looks up to see Catherine staring at him with a steady gaze. He doesn’t have the energy to confront her, to ask her again what the hell she’s doing to Steve, and whether she’s going to stick around this time. Catherine doesn’t seem in the mood to bare her soul either, just gives Danny a meaningless nod and closes her eyes.

Danny does the same, and this time he lets himself imagine again. The mission is over, and with any luck they’ll be back on Oahu in a day or two. He might get his moment at the house with Steve after all, beers in their hands and steaks on the grill. Hopefully Steve can find some solace there by the water. Hopefully Danny can, too.


	12. 9.12

Steve forces a smile and goes back into the house, making sure everyone at Grace’s welcome home party has food and drinks, and doesn’t forget about dessert. He’s good at faking it, he’s had lots of practice over the years. He chats with Koa and Tani, teases Charlie, and laughs with Lou.

But his heart is with Danny, Danny who is sitting with his ex-wife, exchanging memories and heartbreakingly fond smiles. 

Steve can’t begrudge Danny the happiness that so clearly shows on his face, not after what happened to Grace. He can’t even begin to imagine what losing Grace would have done to Danny. He wouldn’t let himself do it, even when Danny had told him about the brain hemorrhage, even when Grace’s surgery had gone on for far too long. Grace is strong, just like her dad, and she pulled through. Thank god.

Steve is proud of how Danny held it together during the whole thing. The fact that he was so good to Rachel while they waited in the hospital, despite learning that Rachel had lied to him again (although not telling Danny that Stan bought Grace a car hardly compares to not telling Danny that he had a son) just demonstrates how fiercely Danny loves, even when he’s been hurt. 

The affection on Danny’s face now as he brings Rachel a plate of food and sits down to talk with her, the two of them separate and apart from the rest of the party… Steve didn’t expect that. Maybe Danny’s still in that place where he’s more focused on taking care of the people in his life than recognizing he needs to take care of himself, too. 

A current of fear runs through Steve at the sight of them together, a sickening worry, that maybe Danny’s actions today aren’t just Danny continuing to support Rachel during the aftermath of a terrible trauma, that instead it might be something more. 

Danny’s done this dance before, this flirtation with the idea of getting back together with Rachel. The possibility has been a part of Steve's friendship with Danny almost since the beginning. And lately Danny and Rachel have gotten along fine. Steve can’t even remember the last time that Danny complained about Rachel in anything other than his usual vaguely annoyed manner. Her ring tone on Danny’s cell phone is no longer ominous, hasn’t been for a long time.

Steve excuses himself into the kitchen and tosses paper cups into the trash, then ties up the bag and goes outside to put it into the garbage barrel. He needs a minute away from all the happiness, all the smiles and sunshine. He thinks he’s the most ungrateful bastard in the world, the most selfish of men, to be feeling sorry for himself right now. 

He takes a few deep breaths and tries to calm down. It’s his own fault, if something blossoms between Danny and Rachel. It’s because of him. Steve allowed it to happen, opened the door wide open and issued an engraved invitation, by shutting Danny out so completely after Joe’s death.

When Danny had shown up at the ranch in Montana, there was a part of Steve that wanted to swim to the surface and cheer, wrap his arms around Danny’s shoulders and let Danny kiss him until Steve remembered how to breathe. But he was in too deep, too wrapped up in the mission that he thought would bring him peace.

Of course, it didn’t. Danny would have told him that, if he’d have let him. Instead, Steve tortured a man nearly to death to get information, then went on a manhunt that ended up with another child traumatized, Greer dead, and lingering gaps in their intel.

All the while Danny stood steadily by him, holding his tongue as he watched him and Catherine and their assembled band of lethal weapons tear the world apart just a little bit more.

Steve saw the look on Danny’s face when Harry brought out the wedding rings. It was ironic, of course, that Catherine would marry him for an op, but not for real. More than ironic, it was a kick in the gut, and Danny was the only one there that knew it, that understood what it cost Steve to go along with the farce. But Steve didn’t even acknowledge it.

Steve could have pulled Danny aside at any time and accepted some comfort from him, or told Danny how much it meant that Danny showed up. He could tell that Danny was uncomfortable, usually when it came to something Catherine said or did, but Danny didn’t falter. He was there for Steve, grounding him just with his presence, and Steve barely said thank you.

Worse, Steve pretty much took everything that had been building between them and let them both pretend it didn’t happen. 

He knew why Danny didn’t push it – not only was Steve grieving and stuck in his own foolish spiral of revenge, but on top of it all, Catherine was there, had been there for weeks. Operationally, it made perfect sense to involve Catherine, but Steve knew all Danny could see was that Steve was relying on her help, and her support, and hadn’t even told Danny she was there.

Steve knows he hurt Danny by not asking him to come help. He even figures Danny thinks he understands why. A few days after they got back from Montana, in Steve’s office at Five-0, Danny had showed up with a bag of malasadas. He had come over to Steve’s desk, hip cocked, waiting to talk to him as he had so many times before, except this time his smile was tinged with sadness.

“Thought you’d like something to remind you you’re back home,” Danny had said. “And feel free to come out of your hiding place anytime. We’re not mad at you.”

Steve had stuttered out some kind of nonsense reply, that he wasn’t hiding and what did Danny mean by that anyway, and Danny had said, with a hint of bitterness, _we get why you called your team._ And then Danny had rallied, and made some joke about Army buddies, but Steve was too tongue-tied to insist that Danny correct himself to _Navy_ buddies, letting their familiar routine fall flat. When Steve remained silent, Danny simply left Steve’s office, ostensibly to help Tani with some paperwork, a look of resigned disappointment on his face.

Steve should have cleared it up sooner, obviously, tried to correct Danny’s impression that Steve’s _team_ was anyone other than Danny and the rest of Five-0, but then Grace got hurt, and nothing was more important than her recovery (and catching the creep that caused her accident). Danny’s been preoccupied with Grace for the past week, spending almost all his time at the hospital, or with Charlie. And, of course, with Rachel.

Steve shakes himself and goes back inside, pasting his smile back on his face.

*****  
Danny and Rachel don’t let the party drag on too long – Grace still tires easily, and is eager to get back into her own bed. Steve’s just about to head out when he feels a hand on his arm, and turns to see Danny standing close, a strange expression on his face.

“Can I, um, can I come over? When we’re done cleaning up here?”

Steve stares at Danny, his heart suddenly beating hard against his chest. “Yeah, of course.”

“Good,” Danny says, and unceremoniously ushers Steve out of the house.

It’s more than two hours later when there’s a knock on Steve’s door. Steve has been driving himself crazy the whole time he was waiting, alternating between tidying the house, trying to distract himself with mindless television shows, and checking his reflection in the mirror. But now Danny’s here, and it’s time to face the music.

Danny comes inside briskly. He’s changed into a black t-shirt, jeans, and old sneakers. The pleasure on his face from earlier in the day has been replaced with a tense half-smile that he flashes at Steve and then abandons as he paces back and forth, finally coming to a stop in front of Steve.

“Are we over?” He barely pauses for Steve to answer before he continues, hands waving. “Because that’s what it seems like. If we were together, I would have thought that you’d have actually asked me to help you go after Hassan, although I convinced myself that I get why you didn’t. And if we were together, you’d have, you know, at least acknowledged that when I showed up in Montana, maybe not right in front of everyone, but eventually. Or, at the very least, if you didn’t want any of your _Navy buddies_ ” - he gets it right now, Danny’s not kidding around – “to catch on, you’d have, I don’t know, fucking said something when we got back home. But you didn’t, and you haven’t, and god damn it, I think I have a right to know.”

“Of course you do, Danny, I-”

“And I understand, Steve, I get it if you changed your mind,” Danny continues, like he hadn’t even heard Steve speak. “A lot’s gone on lately, Joe’s death was horrible, more than horrible, I know how much he meant to you.” Danny’s voice has gone soft, but he’s far from calm. “I get that losing Joe might have made you think about your life differently, or maybe being back with Catherine made you reconsider what you could have with her, someday, if she finally gets her head out of her ass. And before you say anything, before you -” Danny halts, his voice cracking, and takes a deep breath.

“Before you decide, Steve,” Danny puts his hands on Steve’s biceps, looking at him intently. “Understand that I’m not going anywhere, no matter what happens. Me, and Grace and Charlie, we’re still gonna be your family. And that’s not because of what you did last week, how you helped when Grace was hurt, that’s just how it is, how it’s always gonna be. Always. That’s never gonna change. No matter what.”

Steve’s vision blurs, and he ducks his head, wiping at his eyes. Danny pulls him into a hug, and Steve hugs him back, arms wrapping as tight as he can around Danny’s shoulders. He digs his face into Danny’s neck and struggles for breath as Danny tangles his fingers in his hair. “I love you, Danny, I do.”

“I know, babe.” 

Danny sounds so resigned. Steve tries again. “I wanted to keep you out of it, the whole mess with Greer. Didn’t want you to get hurt.”

Danny snorts and pulls back, forehead pressed against Steve’s for a moment before they part. “Well, it didn’t work.”

“No, I guess it didn’t.” Steve takes Danny’s hand, squeezes it tight. “I’m sorry.”

Danny nods. “I know.”

Again, that damned resignation. It’s as if Danny doesn’t have any doubt about what Steve’s going to say, that he already thinks it’s over between them. Does Danny know something Steve doesn’t? Has he already moved on with Rachel?

Danny squeezes Steve’s hand and releases it, apparently taking Steve’s silence as a sign that the conversation is over. “I gotta get back, I told Rachel I’d take Charlie tonight. Give her and Grace some time alone together. So why don’t you, um, think about it, okay? ‘Cause I gotta know. This-” Danny waves his hand back and forth between them. “This isn’t doing either of us any good. Figure it out, and let me know.”

Danny strides towards the door, Steve following close on his heels. He can’t stand the thought of letting Danny leave like this, but he can’t manage to get any words out of his mouth either, so he grabs Danny and pulls him into a bruising kiss. He hangs on, stomach clenching until Danny starts kissing him back, Danny’s hands clutching at his hips and fingers digging in tight. Steve’s missed this so much, the smell and the taste of Danny, the way he pushes upward to meet Steve’s mouth. The way Danny nips at Steve’s lips, how his hand cups Steve’s head and tugs him closer. 

When they finally come up for air, Danny’s lips are red and swollen, and he stares at Steve for a long moment, as if he’s searching for something. But just as Steve is hoping Danny’s about to break into one of his sunshine smiles, maybe trot back into the house and plant himself on the couch, Danny frowns and shakes his head. 

“Ball’s in your court,” Danny says, and walks out the door.


	13. 9.13

Steve’s still feeling a little shocky when he thinks about his team’s latest close call, even though Tani and Junior assure him that the only lasting effect from their sixteen hours in the hyperbaric chamber was an intense case of boredom. Adam takes the day off, but the kids do seem fine, so much so that by the end of the day they’re demanding that everyone go out for drinks to celebrate a job well done.

Steve, however, is exhausted, and he still has a ton of paperwork to do. He tells the team he’ll meet up with them in a little while, and gives himself a ten minute break to put his head down on his desk before he gets back to work. It’s not something he’s accustomed to doing, but there’s no question that his crazy free dive yesterday has taken it out of him.

And if he’s honest with himself, he’s also avoiding Danny. Danny’s given him time to figure his shit out, but in typical McGarrett fashion when it comes to relationships, he’s still procrastinating. Although he thinks he made a little progress yesterday, finally asking Danny what was up with him and Rachel. If only they had had a slightly longer walk before they found the body, he might have gotten more information. But he’s pretty sure Danny told him there’s nothing going on.

Then Steve had to go and pull another of what Danny will likely call one of his stunts. Danny had hardly protested; Steve can’t decide if Danny refrained because he’s just gotten tired of arguing with him, or if he realized that if Steve did nothing three of their closest friends (and all the scientists trapped on the underwater lab) would be dead. The look on Danny’s face when he pulled Steve back up out of the water, the way Danny looked at him when Steve sat gasping for air… it was hard to decipher. 

Danny wasn’t angry at Steve, not like he was when Steve jumped into the stupid sand processing machine to catch a perp. But he was holding something back. Danny’s trying to give Steve his space, Steve thinks, and it turns out Steve doesn’t much like it.

What he wants is his old Danny back, the one that says whatever’s on his mind, that will rant and wave his hands around, that isn’t afraid to raise his voice and argue with Steve. But Steve’s gone and made everything between them awkward, and Steve’s too much of a chicken to fix it.

Even their time with Grace is weird these days. Danny’s overprotective of her, with good reason, but while he’s happy to let Steve see her as well, he didn’t exactly invite him over for breakfast. Danny wouldn’t even make Steve any pancakes. He didn’t even laugh when Steve joked about it.

Steve finally forces himself to pick his head up off his desk and stop sulking. He’s got to actually do the paperwork he talked about, or when Monday comes everyone will know he was making excuses.

An hour or so has gone by when his phone rings. The governor wants a full down-run of the Nostromo situation, and then somehow the conversation turns to the governor’s friend’s nephew who wants to go to West Point and is looking for some advice on the application process and how to get a congressional nomination. Steve doesn’t have a lot of recent information on the subject, but he’s got some friends that might be able to help, and he goes down a bit of a rabbit hole online to find the governor some information that might be useful. 

It’s a good way to procrastinate some more. With any luck, the team will finish up soon and he’ll be off the hook, free to go home and fall into bed without anyone having to witness how freaking tired he is.

When he gets off with the governor, he turns back to his case report, and he’s just finessing the language about Junior’s clever use of the rescue beacon (which probably saved his life) when his phone rings again.

“You’re not so old that you completely ignore all texts, are you? Because I refuse to believe it, but I can be convinced.” It’s Tani, sounding peeved. There’s music in the background, and he can hear Junior enthusiastically butchering the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody. 

“Officer Rey, how can I help you?” Steve says.

“We’re still at Rumfire, bossman, waiting for you.”

Steve glances at this watch. It’s after ten. Oops. “Um, Tani, I’m not sure-”

“Don’t say it. Do _not_ say it. Just get your ass over here.”

“Really, I’m pretty tired-”

There’s a deep sigh over the phone. “You really haven’t read any of my texts tonight, have you?”

He hasn’t. And he has the feeling it’s too late. “I’ve been on the phone with the governor.” This is at least true, although definitely not the only reason he’s still at headquarters.

“I’m sure that’s terribly important. But your BFF is important too, right?”

Steve’s stomach lurches. “What’s wrong with Danny?”

Tani snorts. “At least that got your attention. He’s five sheets to the wind, as they probably say in the Navy, or at least they did back in the olden days. And he won’t leave until you get here.”

“What do you mean?”

“He keeps saying he’s waiting for you. ‘I’m waiting for that dumbass,’ are actually the words Danny used. Multiple times. Emphasis on ‘dumbass.’”

Shit. “But he’s okay?”

Tani sighs, and mutters something that sounds very much like “you’re both dumbasses,” but Steve doesn’t call her on it.

“Yes, Danny’s fine. But he’s totally wasted, and I think you should come get him.”

Steve gets to the bar as quickly as he can, and tries to not wonder too much about what Danny really means when he says he’s “waiting” for Steve. He’s pretty sure it’s not just Danny wanting Steve to come have mai tai’s (although they do make killer mai tai’s at Rumfire).

The traffic is ridiculous in Waikiki, and the crowds of people along Kalakaua Avenue do nothing for Steve’s nerves. He finally makes it through the Sheraton and into the bar.

The place is packed, as it usually is on a Friday night, and it takes him a while to push through the sweaty crowds to find his team. Junior and Lou are sitting at a table, the remains of what look like several orders of kalua pork nachos and shrimp bao in front of them. Steve nods hello and grabs a handful of chip crumbs. He scans the room quickly. “Where’s everyone else?”

Junior points towards the DJ, and Steve squints his eyes. He really doesn’t want to get even closer to the pounding music, but it seems like he doesn’t have much choice.

“Danny’s been asking about you,” Lou says, his face neutral, and Steve wants to kick himself. Did he really think he could ignore Danny and his team wouldn’t notice?

“I know,” Steve says. “I’ll go find him.”

“Don’t forget to put on your dancing shoes,” Lou says, smirking, and Steve just sighs.

When he finds Tani and Danny in the crowd, he can’t help but smile. They’re dancing to that dumb song every beach-side resort in Oahu loves to play, Danny twirling Tani around and then jumping up and down as they cheer “cake by the ocean!”

Danny spots Steve and his eyes light up. He dances over, arms waving over his head like he’s at a middle school party. He sings in Steve’s face, “You’re a real life fantasy, a real life fantasy!”

“Hey, Danno,” Steve says. Danny’s dress shirt is rumpled, and his eyes are wide and bright.

“Dance with me, Steve,” Danny says, shimmying up close and then grabbing Tani by the arm to bring her into the circle. “Dance with us.”

He can hardly say no, even though he can’t rival Danny and Tani’s excitement. Steve grins at the two of them, and does his best to play along, letting the music take over and move his body. 

Steve’s not sure how Danny knows all the words to the song. He blames Grace. But it’s surely not Grace’s fault that Danny keeps throwing flirty looks at Steve while he twists and turns, all head tilts and shoulder rolls. “Let’s lose our minds and go fucking crazy, ah ya ya ya, I keep on hoping we’ll eat cake by the ocean.”

Finally the song ends, and Steve swings an arm over Danny’s shoulders. He’s sweaty and warm, and his thin shirt is damp. Steve would really like to just hug him tight and breathe him in, but he can’t. Not here, not now.

“Time to go, partner,” Steve says, guiding Danny back towards their table. Thankfully Lou and Junior are getting up, and Tani’s putting on her jacket, clearly indicating that the party is over.

“I waited for you,” Danny says plaintively, and Steve allows himself a little half-hug with the arm he’s still got wrapped around Danny. 

“I know, buddy. I’ll drive you home.”

Danny seems pleased with this, and practically giggles as Steve shuffles him out of the bar. He’s really drunk, drunker than Steve has seen him in a long time, and is leaning heavily on Steve.

Steve exchanges a look with Junior that he hopes communicates something along the lines of “how did you let this happen,” but Junior doesn’t seem to quite get it. Getting wasted in a very public, very tourist friendly bar isn’t really the right image for Five-0, and somebody should have done something about it… Steve pushes away the thought that the somebody in question was supposed to be him, and concentrates on making sure Danny doesn’t mow over any pedestrians as they make their way down the street.

Steve is hoping Danny will sober up a little by the time they get back to his house, but he still seems pretty out of it as they go inside. 

“You should go to sleep, Danny,” Steve says, as Danny pauses in the foyer. “I’ll get you some water. Sleep it off, you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Danny gives Steve a challenging look and shakes his head. “I’m not tired. Let’s watch a movie.”

“I don’t feel like a movie, and it’s late.”

Danny pulls away from Steve and flops down on the couch, patting the spot next to him. “I’m not asking you to hike the Himalayas, Steve. Just watch a movie with me.” It’s the least you can do, Danny seems to be saying, after blowing me off tonight. 

“Fine.” Steve gets them each a glass of water first, and then joins Danny on the couch. Danny’s got the remote in his hands, but he hasn’t even turned on the television.

Steve’s about to take the remote and try to move things along, maybe rewatch a nice familiar Marvel movie, when suddenly he’s got a lap full of drunk Danny.

“I’m tired of waiting, Steve,” Danny says. He’s straddling Steve, pushing him back against the couch. His hand rove over Steve’s chest and shoulders, making his skin tingle. “I’m tired of playing ball.”

Danny leans in and kisses Steve, hard and desperate. Steve can taste the liquor on his breath, and he moans as Danny thrusts firmly against his groin.

“Danny,” Steve says, his mind spinning. “Danny, no…”

Danny sits up, still pressing down on Steve’s rapidly growing erection. “No, what, exactly?” Suddenly Danny doesn’t seem quite as drunk. “No to us? I asked you to think about it, Steve, I didn’t think you’d need to take a sabbatical to figure it out.”

“No to…” Steve struggles to find a way to do this without pissing Danny off permanently. “You’re drunk.”

“And you know how I feel - I’m not the one with a consent issue,” Danny replies bitingly. “You’re sober as fuck. So what’s it gonna be?” 

“Danny…” Steve wants to tell Danny how he feels, he really does, but the words just won’t come.

Danny sighs, the fight going out of him. “Give me something to work with here, Steve. I miss you. And I was so goddamned scared yesterday. What you did… not many people can do that. You’re not a kid, you don’t train for that now. There was a good possibility you weren’t going to make it up, not alive. I couldn’t stop you, but, dammit, I was so scared. When you finally broke the surface,” Danny swallows hard, and meets Steve’s eyes. “I love you. I don’t want to wait any longer to do something about it.”

Danny’s voice cracks, and Steve can’t take it anymore. He lunges up and catches Danny’s mouth in a kiss, hands clutching at his shoulders. Danny gets a hand in Steve’s hair and tugs, and then they’re frantically shedding their clothes and scrambling for a more comfortable position on the couch.

“I wanna blow you,” Danny says, scooting down and nipping at Steve’s hip. “Let me blow you.”

Steve mumbles out his assent and then Danny’s mouth is on him, hot and wet and if he was a little younger, he’d be coming already. But Danny slows down and takes his time, sucking the tip and then sinking down, doing something amazing with his tongue and then rising up and doing it over and over again. 

“Fuck, Danny,” Steve groans, as the pressure intensifies. “Danny, I’m…”

Danny just looks up at him, eyes wide and mouth stretched, and Steve finally comes in a burst of pleasure that nearly whites him out. When he recovers, he flips them over, nearly knocking them both to the floor, and gets his hand around Danny’s throbbing cock. With his other hand he works over Danny’s nipples, kissing up and down his neck and collarbone. 

Danny is letting loose a stream of profanities, his hands squeezing Steve’s ass as he writhes underneath him, hips thrusting and stuttering as he gets close. When he finally comes with a low moan, he goes almost limp, except for one arm still wrapped tightly around Steve’s shoulders.

Steve finally extracts himself and goes to the bathroom, returning with a wet towel to clean them up. But Danny is fast asleep, and no amount of cajoling will get him to move off the couch. Steve covers him with a blanket and plants himself in the armchair for the night, not wanting to leave Danny alone. 

He realizes, as he sits and waits for exhaustion to overtake him, that he’s still not really clear on what’s up with Danny and Rachel. Steve’s pretty sure that in this case, actions speak louder than words. He just hopes he hasn’t made a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song reference is to DNCE's Cake by the Ocean. (And if it's stuck in your head now too, I'm sorry?)


	14. 9.14

Danny’s standing in front of the open refrigerator, debating whether he has the energy to make something or if he should just eat store-bought rotisserie chicken for the third night in a row, when he hears his front door open.

He turns to see Steve bounding towards him, a big smile on his face as he looks around the house.

“Grace isn’t here,” Danny informs him. “She’s at Rachel’s tonight, remember?”

Steve comes to a stop in front of Danny, still smiling. “I know, you told me like three times.” He holds up a bag. “I brought dinner.”

Danny’s a little taken aback. Not upset, of course, just a little thrown off by all the enthusiasm directed his way. Although of course it’s true that Steve doesn’t reserve his affection only for Grace, he definitely has been showering her with love lately. Danny shouldn’t be jealous of his daughter – she deserves all the love in the world, no question. Anyway, whatever else is going on, Steve is clearly eager to see Danny right now, so he needs to get with the program and enjoy it. 

“Okay, thanks.”

“Steak burritos, medium salsa, extra sour cream and guac, just like you like ‘em.” Steve says proudly. He grabs Danny by the arm and drags him towards the table. “Come on, I’m starved. It’s not as if you have any other food in the house.”

“This is all too true.” Danny detours to get them each a beer, and they settle down to eat. “What’s the occasion?” He almost kicks himself for asking. Danny’s never been good at just accepting happy moments when they come along.

Steve isn’t deterred, however. He cheekily wipes a bit of sour cream off the side of Danny’s mouth with the tip of his finger and grins. “Don’t act so surprised. Can’t I do something nice for my, uh, friend?”

Steve’s cheeks pink as he stutters on the last word, and Danny relaxes. This, he can deal with. Giving Steve shit is familiar territory, even if this topic is new to them.

“Your friend, huh?”

Steve pokes around in the bag the food came in, apparently very curious now about whether there are any paper napkins left in there. “Yeah, my friend.”

Danny sits calmly as Steve fully explores the bag, finding two plastic forks but no napkins, and then another long minute goes by as Steve realizes that Danny is still waiting for Steve to give him a better answer.

“What, you want me to call you something else?” Steve asks, defiance battling with a hint of shyness.

“I dunno, what do you think you should call me?”

Steve smirks. “How about a pain in my ass?”

“That can be arranged.”

Steve’s mouth drops open, and he’s momentarily at a loss for words. Danny grins, and turns back to his burrito. But before he can take a bite, Steve’s in his space, pushing him back in his chair for a hard kiss.

“You’re feisty tonight.” Danny breathes hard when Steve lets him go, one hand still holding his burrito. “Not that I’m complaining.”

Steve shrugs and sits back down, as if nothing had happened. “Just felt like kissing you.”

“Because I’m your _friend._ ” Danny drags the word out. Steve looks annoyed now, though, apparently disappointed that his actions can’t actually substitute for words. “Honestly, Steve, what are we doing?”

Danny hadn’t meant to turn the conversation in such a serious direction, but it’s what he’s been thinking for weeks now, and at some point he’d appreciate actually knowing the answer. He isn’t particularly proud of the fact that he got drunk and threw himself at Steve last week, and would like to assume that Steve’s response means that they’re back together, but drunken orgasms do not a relationship make.

Steve turns in his chair to face Danny head on. “Do you think I’m screwing around with you, Danny, is that what is it?”

It actually hadn’t occurred to him that there could be any malice in Steve’s cluelessness. “No, are you?”

“No, of course not,” Steve says, affronted. “Do we need to put a label on it? You really want me to call you my boyfriend?”

Danny is about to give in, to say it doesn’t matter, that labels are dumb and unnecessary and he doesn’t care, when he realizes that he does. He does care.

“Yeah, actually, I do.”

Steve tilts his head, his eyes locked with Danny’s. “Okay.” He nods. “Okay.”

“That’s it?”

Steve leans close and brushes his lips across Danny’s mouth. “Yup, boyfriend, that’s it.” He sits back. “I didn’t know it was important to you. You should’ve said.” All defensiveness drops from his expression, and he looks soft. “I want us to be together, Danno. You make me happy, and I want to make you happy. That’s how I feel. I know I haven’t been good about saying it, and I’m sorry.”

Before Danny can absorb the impact of Steve’s unusual sincerity, Steve drops to one knee, a mischievous expression on his face, and Danny spares a fleeting though that maybe Steve still has the ring Harry made him use on the op in Laos. “Danny Williams, will you be my boyfriend?”

It’s cheesy as hell, but Danny kind of asked for it. Steve’s words send a little tingle through his entire body. “I will, you goof.” Danny tugs at Steve’s shoulders and kisses him properly, letting Steve wrap his arms around his waist and hold them close. Danny’s rather pleased at their progress. 

As the night wears on, Steve shows no sign of heading home, and before long they’re half-asleep in front of the television, a cooking show droning on in the background. Steve starts to rouse himself, looking at the time.

“So what is Grace up to tonight?” Steve is trying for casual, but his parental-like worry clearly shows through. Danny understands – ever since her accident, it’s hard to be nonchalant about his daughter’s whereabouts on a Friday night.

“She’s home with Rachel, a few of her friends are staying over with her. No driving, no parties.”

“Good, good.” Steve sits up, stretching. “That girl, Annie, from our case this week? Kinda reminded me of her.”

Danny has heard all about what he missed, including the very interesting fact that Flippa’s friend Luka was a counselor for LGBTQ kids, and no one on their team had blinked an eye. More than that, Five-0 had unanimously supported Annie’s need to get away from her intolerant parents, clearly understanding that who you love can’t be “treated” out of you. It gives him hope for how the team might react to learning about him and Steve.

But that’s not a conversation for right now. Danny’s pushed enough for tonight. “She reminds you of Gracie?” he prompts.

“Yeah. Sure of herself. Not afraid to stand up for what she knows is right.” Steve turns to Danny. “You raised a good kid, Danno.”

“You might have had something to do with that,” Danny says. 

Steve shrugs, a little embarrassed. Danny knows he’s proud of how Grace looks up to him, and what an important part of her life he is. He should be. Grace is a better person for it.

He stifles a yawn, and glances at the clock. It’s late. “You gonna stay over?” Danny asks.

“Is that a boyfriend thing?”

Danny groans. Steve is going to milk this as much as he can. “Sure, whatever.”

Steve is nodding, but then he rubs his face and grimaces. “I need to feed Eddie. Want to come to mine instead?”

Now, that really is a boyfriend thing, right there. Because it’s already almost midnight, and their date, such as it was, is truly over. In fact, it might be past boyfriend stage, and well into old marrieds. But curling up with Steve in his big comfortable bed sounds amazing. Danny doesn’t even mind the sound of the waves anymore; it just means he’s home with Steve.

As Danny predicted, they pass out almost as soon as they get under the covers, and he doesn’t mind a bit. 

In the morning, Steve gets out of bed with the dawn, off to do his usual imitation of an overachieving fish. Danny rolls around in bed for a while, but can’t really fall back asleep. He finally gives up and gets out of bed, pulling on shorts and a t-shirt. He puts the coffee on and dozes at the table while it brews, then fills two mugs and heads outside. Sitting down by the beach while Steve does laps has become something of a morning ritual for them. It’s soothing.

The sun is just starting to warm the air, and Danny is wishing he was wearing something warmer, when he realizes that Steve isn’t actually swimming. Instead, he’s conked out in the hammock.

Danny leaves the mugs on the lanai table and walks slowly towards Steve, not wanting to wake him. He’s got on an old sweatshirt and his swim trunks, his feet bare, and he’s curled up on his side, one hand tucked under his head.

“Steve?” Danny whispers, and there’s no response. Danny’s chest aches with concern. He’s noticed how tired Steve has been lately, even though Steve tries to hide it. It shows around his eyes, and on his face. He’s pretty sure it took Steve days to recover from that crazy free dive, although of course Steve wouldn’t tell anyone. It’s too important to Steve to be everyone’s protector, the superhero Seal they can all count on to swoop in and come to the rescue, no matter the personal cost.

Danny doesn’t like to think about whether it’s just a natural consequence of getting older combined with Steve’s general penchant for extreme physical activity, or something more serious (don’t think about radiation poisoning, he chants to himself). Either way, in contrast to all that exhaustion and stress, Steve looks downright peaceful there on the hammock, a gentle breeze ruffling his hair. Danny wants to wrap his arms around him and never let go.

So he does. Or, more accurately, he tries. Steve mumbles at him when Danny climbs into the hammock, and there’s a moment when Danny worries that he’s going to tip them both over, but after a minute they get their balance back and Steve shifts so Danny can curl up against his chest.

Steve’s warmth chases the chill away, as do the sleepy kisses Steve plants all over Danny’s face. “Love you, Danno,” Steve breathes out.

“Love you too, babe.”

It’s a damn good start to the day.


	15. 9.15

The storm is picking up steam, wind howling outside the palace windows, when Steve’s phone buzzes with a text.

_call me pls don’t ask just call_

Steve frowns. He isn’t thrilled that Danny is entertaining Rachel on his night off, but since Rachel was forced to evacuate – with Charlie – he can’t really object without seeming like an asshole. The new state of affairs between Danny and Rachel is a little too accomodating for Steve’s liking, and it is starting to get under his skin. 

_You ok?_ Steve texts back.

_can you not read? call me_

Steve stifles a grin and presses Danny’s number. Figures they’d argue even over text.

Danny picks up the phone, but his greeting doesn’t make a lot of sense. “Steve? Why are you calling?” he pauses, but then before Steve can say anything, he goes on. “Sure, sure, give me a sec.”

“Danny.”

“Hang on, hang on.” And then, muffled, like Danny’s got his hand over the phone, “Rachel, I’ll be back in a minute. Steve needs to talk to me about a case.” 

Steve hears a door open and close, and then a long sigh.

“Danny, what exactly is going on?”

“Took you long enough to call.”

“You could have just called me if you wanted to talk.” Clearly Danny wanted to be interrupted, but Steve still feels like he’s missing something.

“I can’t help it, babe, it’s like junior high over here. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“About?”

“Rachel.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine, Charlie’s fine, we’re all fine. That’s not the point.”

“What exactly is the point?”

Steve hears a faucet turn on, and realizes that Danny is in the bathroom, trying to mask the sound of his voice. Hiding, perhaps, from Rachel.

“The point is she’s flirting with me.”

Steve’s heart starts to race. He’s always believed that jealousy was petty, and beneath him, but right now he wouldn’t be surprised if his eyes were turning green.

“So shut her down.”

There’s a shuffle, and a thump. Steve pictures Danny sitting on the floor of the bathroom, leaning against the tub. “It’s not that easy.”

Steve doesn’t know what to say to this. Apparently Danny doesn’t, either, as the silence between them goes on longer than is comfortable. Finally he forces words out. “Are you saying you _want_ her to flirt with you?”

“Steve…”

Steve feels like his chest is in a vice. He can’t breathe, and he sits down hard in his chair, elbow landing painfully on his desk. This is it, then, this is where all this has been heading. Danny is going to reunite with his ex-wife, have Grace and Charlie with him full-time, be a real, normal family again. 

He jerks his head up at a knock on his office door. Jerry’s standing there, looking anxious, and making some kind of sign that’s he’s pretty sure means he’s got information. 

“Danny, I’ve got to get back to work. Do what you gotta do.”

“Steve, wait-”

“Goodbye, Danny.”

“But Steve-”

Steve hangs up, and turns his attention to Jerry. Whatever Danny has to say can wait, at least until Steve isn’t dealing with hundreds of storm refugees and a dangerous criminal in his rendition room. If he’s going to get dumped, he’d prefer that it happen in private, and preferably in person.

Steve shoves his cell in his pocket, and it isn’t until much later in the night – almost morning, now – that he sees the texts that Danny sent him right after Steve hung up the phone.

_Shit, Steve, pls call me back._

_or text, either way_

_It’s not what you think_

_I just needed to talk about it. Pls call if you can. Stay safe._

_I love you._

It’s better than getting dumped by a long shot, but still, Steve isn’t going to be able to relax until he sees Danny. When the storm blows itself out and the sun comes up, he heads over to Danny’s house.

He puts on his most cheerful face when Danny asks what’s he doing there (what does he think he’s doing here, Daniel), babbles about last night’s possible disasters, and holds his breath until Danny has closed the door behind Rachel and Charlie. 

And if Steve made it awkward, well, he had a right to, didn’t he? When his boyfriend spends the night flirting with his ex-wife, his ex-wife that said boyfriend has been awfully friendly with lately, while insisting that nothing is going on, it’s kind of the definition of awkward. So sue him.

Steve internally acknowledges the irony of his insistence on pancakes. He’s not sure when this got to be a thing with them, when Steve gave in to Danny’s love for sweets, when Steve realized that he could make Danny grin by begging him for unhealthy carbs.

It was probably around the time that Steve admitted to himself that being served a meal by Danny, one that Danny reserved for those closest to him, made Steve feel loved, and he’d do pretty much anything to chase that feeling. Even if it means eating more empty calories in one meal than anyone should have in a week. And besides, bananas are healthy.

It’s not until the pancakes are ready and Danny is picking out the ones with the best banana to chocolate chip ratio to pile on Steve’s plate that Danny begins to talk.

“I’m sorry for last night. It’s been confusing for me, this stuff with Rachel, and I wanted to talk about it with you. Which would have been fine, right, if we were just friends? But we’re not, and I should have realized that.”

Danny sounds almost sad, wistful, and it doesn’t sit right with Steve.

“No, man, nothing’s changed – we’re still friends. You can talk to me about anything.”

“But you got upset. And I get it, you don’t want to hear this.”

Steve takes a deep breath and tries to stay calm. “Just because I don’t want to hear something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t say it. But it would help if you were a little more clear.”

“How do you mean?”

Steve puts his fork down, and looks Danny in the eye. “If you’re telling me you still have feelings for Rachel, if you’re breaking up with me, I think it’s understandable that I’d be upset.”

“Jeez, Steve, I’m not breaking up with you. I’m not,” Danny insists, his pancakes forgotten as he grabs Steve’s arm. “I love you, you goof. A lot.” Danny leans in and presses a hard kiss to Steve’s lips. 

It takes Steve a few seconds to respond, he’s still halfway nervous and angry and worried, and when he does he feels like he’s a kid, fumbling around, not quite with the program.

Danny pulls back, his eyes finding Steve’s. “Hey, it’s okay. Really. I’m sorry. I screwed up – nothing happened with Rachel, and nothing’s going to. It’s just weird being that close with her again, that’s all. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“But you do feel… something for Rachel.”

Danny sits back down in his chair, but scoots it closer to Steve, so that their knees are touching. “Yeah. I do. We were together for a long time. And she’s coming on strong now. It brings back a lot of memories.” Danny rubs his face. “I loved her a lot, you know?”

“She cheated on you, Danny. She tried to take Gracie away from you. She lied to you about Charlie – your own son. For years.”

Danny’s face falls. “Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think I’ve considered the fact that even letting her back into my life like this is some kind of, I don’t know, Hawaiian-variety Stockholm Syndrome? It just happened, Steve, little by little. I always wanted to make sure Gracie and Charlie weren’t affected by all the crap between me and Rachel, so I tried to behave, for their sake. At some point I guess I forgot to be mad at her.”

Steve reaches out, draws a finger along the collar of Danny’s t-shirt, considers carefully the curve of his collarbone. He wants this man so much, he doesn’t know how to navigate this. Doesn’t know what to say.

Danny speaks before Steve can find the right words. “I still care about my ex-wife, and I do think it’s good for everyone that we have a civil relationship. I thought you were on board with that? You’re all chummy with her too, you know you are – genuinely friendly, right?”

Steve has to admit this. “Right.”

“You expect me to hold a grudge, even if it isn’t good for Grace and Charlie?”

“Maybe a little one.”

Danny huffs a laugh, then cups his hand around Steve’s larger one and presses it to his chest. Steve can feel Danny’s heart beating under his palm.

“I know it’s weird. It feels weird to me too, that she can still make my stomach flutter the way it did when we were kids. Apparently I’m still a little vulnerable to her flirting. But I love you. You’re the one I want to be with. Trust me, babe, okay?”

Steve wants to, he really does. “Nothing happened with Rachel last night? Nothing at all?”

“No, but…” Danny cringes, but then he looks right back at Steve, taking a breath and holding his gaze steady as he talks. “We fell asleep on the couch, and when we woke up, we were laying there together. But nothing happened. Clothes remained on. Charlie was right there, watching television. Completely innocent.”

“On her part, or yours?”

Danny presses his lips together. “I don’t know about Rachel.”

“Danny, are you telling me you didn’t enjoy it at all, the attention from her? The teasing?” Steve pulls his hand out of Danny’s grasp and stands up. 

Danny follows him, rubbing his hands on his pants and pacing. “See? That’s what I wanted to talk about. That’s what I need you to understand, to help me process.”

Steve stares at Danny, at the pained look on his best friend’s face, and suddenly there’s a laugh bubbling up through his chest. “You want me, as your friend, to give you relationship advice about your relationship with me, your boyfriend?”

Danny throws his hands up in the air. “Yes! Exactly! What does it mean that I felt that way? It’s got to be wrong, right? To care about her, to enjoy her caring about me? Help me out here, come on, please.”

This is unknown territory; Steve isn’t the best when it comes to this kind of thing. But he closes his eyes for a moment, and thinks hard about it. He thinks about Catherine.

“I think it feels good to have an attractive woman flirt with you, and when it’s someone that you have a lot of… emotions about, it’s complicated.”

“But you didn’t like it, when I called you last night.”

“Danny…” Steve sighs. “This is new, between us. And you and Rachel… I’ve been a little worried, okay, more than a little worried. You just need to let me know where you stand. And if you tell me that it’s just flirting, that it’s not going to go any farther with Rachel, well, I can take it.”

Danny squints up at Steve. “You can take it?”

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not going to hurt my feelings or anything, if it’s just flirting.” Steve’s not completely sure this is true, but it seems like the right thing to say.

“It’s just flirting,” Danny says, firmly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” There’s a beat, and then Danny’s eyes are glinting and there’s a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. He saunters closer to Steve, and fiddles with the collar of his shirt. “So,” he says, his voice low, “if I told you that Rachel and I stayed up late last night, playing… Yahtzee…” he draws the word out, raising an eyebrow, “you’d be okay with that?”

Danny’s other hand is circling Steve’s waist, then sliding back to tease at the top of his ass. Steve draws in a sharp breath as a flash of arousal runs through him.

“Playing Yahtzee?” Steve asks.

“Yeah.” Danny nuzzles at Steve’s neck. “And eating… popcorn.”

It should be ridiculous, that Steve is so eager for Danny. The spark of jealousy at Danny’s description of his night with Rachel is just heightening his reaction, however, and it feels too good for Steve to do anything but give in to it.

He shifts and lets his cheek drag over Danny’s stubble, rough against his own, and then captures his lips in a kiss. It’s deliberate, and hot, and then Danny’s hands dig into Steve’s ass and pull them close.

They wind up on the floor, hands tangling as they grab at waistbands and zippers and tug pants down. Steve gets his hand around them both, and Danny moans his approval.

“Fuck, Steve, yeah.” Danny sucks kisses down his neck, shoving up Steve’s shirt as one hand pulls at a nipple, and Steve lets his head fall back in pleasure, not caring that he bangs it against the leg of the table. 

“You like that babe, god, I know you do,” Danny mumbles. Danny shifts lower, making Steve let go of his cock, and attacks Steve’s chest with his mouth. Steve rolls to his back, trembling and shaking as Danny sucks on one nipple and then the other, and then heads further south, kissing and licking as he goes.

“Danny…” He gasps when Danny gets his mouth on him, and barely stops himself from thrusting up into that wet heat. Danny’s good at this, really good, and Steve thinks that he needs to start reciprocating soon, because he wants Danny to make Danny feel this amazing too.

He must be saying the words out loud, because Danny pops off and grins at him, lips red. “Next time, babe, I’ll pencil you in, no problem, but I’m kinda busy right now.” He’s back to sucking Steve down so fast that Steve hardly has time to breathe, working the base with one hand and twirling his tongue as he moves up and down over as much of Steve’s length as he can reach.

Steve feels Danny’s fingers sliding back behind his balls, wet with Danny’s spit, and his hips lift of their own accord to give him access. He’s not sure what Danny has in mind, but he doesn’t have a chance to find out as suddenly everything tenses and he’s coming with a shout.

Danny licks and sucks him through it, then lets Steve pull him up and kiss his swollen lips. Steve can taste himself in Danny’s mouth, bitter and salty and he’s pretty sure he was supposed to warn Danny before exploding like that but he can’t find it in himself to care right now.

Danny’s sweating like crazy and Steve tugs his t-shirt off, running his hands over the curly blond hair on his chest, and back up over his broad shoulders. Danny’s eyes are closed, his cock sliding against Steve’s hip, and Steve gets his hand around him. He’s barely gotten a rhythm going when Danny comes with a stutter and a sigh, collapsing against Steve’s chest.

“Oh, babe,” Danny says, his breath hot against Steve’s skin. “Babe.” He’s panting, still wriggling against Steve, Steve’s shirt balled up between them somewhere under Steve’s arms. Steve shifts just long enough to tug it off, and then gathers Danny close.

Steve is content to drift for a few minutes, even though it’s not particularly comfortable on the floor, his pants around his ankles. But Danny is nuzzling into the space between his shoulder and his neck, one hand playing with Steve’s hair, and it feels fantastic. Steve gives Danny’s naked butt a squeeze, and Danny barely protests, just nipping at the spot behind Steve’s ear and squirming closer.

Eventually Danny rouses, pushing up on one elbow.

“Hey,” Steve says, well aware that he’s smiling like a goof.

“Hey.” Danny tilts his head, wearing a matching smile. He looks up, taking in the view – the underside of the dining table, the chairs shoved aside. “Those were some pretty good pancakes, huh?”

Steve laughs, lifting up to press a wet kiss to Danny’s mouth. “The best.”


	16. 9.16

Adam plies them with cocktails when they arrive at his house for dinner, and by the time they’re at the table, Danny’s had two rather strong margaritas and is into his second beer. The mood is effervescent, the team is all together, and everyone is glad to see how happy Adam is with his new place.

Danny had brought Adam a set of little painted bowls as a housewarming gift (they’re for olive oil, but really, could be used for anything), and of course Steve insisted that they were from them both. Danny hadn’t minded. In fact, he was pleased. More than pleased.

Things have been good lately, he thinks. It has been a rough few months, with Joe’s death and Steve’s reaction to it throwing their relationship into question, and then Danny’s stupid inability to shut down his feelings for Rachel upsetting Steve. Thankfully after the storm they had a good if completely terrifying talk, and Danny thinks they are now on solid ground.

Of course, the under-the-table blow job didn’t hurt anything, but the rest of that day was good, too, and it felt like they could finally relax and enjoy being together. They had cleaned up, showered (separately - but that was a question for another day, Steve was oddly reluctant to take a shower together and Danny hadn’t the slightest idea why), and then lazed about all afternoon, watching hockey and then some documentary about naval history that quickly segued into making out on the couch.

Despite a few thorny cases over the past week, they had managed to grab time alone, for just the two of them. Danny is beginning to understand Steve’s rhythms in a way he hadn’t before, even given all the time they spent together over the years. After an emotional moment like their talk about Rachel, Steve needs reassurance. Danny’s been trying to do his best to give it to him, and Steve seems to like the attention. He hasn’t said no to Danny once this week, taking him up on every offer to grab a pizza after work or head down to the gym when they have some down time.

At Adam’s tonight, walking around his new apartment and admiring the work he’s put into getting it set up, Steve is all smiles and sweet looks. When Danny points out the photos of Adam with the team, and teases Steve about how he’s wearing the same navy polo shirt in all of them, Steve just winks at Danny and shrugs. “At least my casual wear extends to more than just black t-shirts,” he says, running an accusing finger down Danny’s chest.

“You said you like me in these,” Danny says, the words falling out of his mouth before he can stop himself. That is absolutely not why he’s taken to wearing these shirts so often, it’s not.

Steve leans in, turning Danny with his body as if to show him another photo on the wall, but his lips brush Danny’s ear. “I do, Danno. I do.” Steve sits his chin on Danny’s shoulder, practically hugging him from behind, and Danny has to will his body not to react in an all too inappropriate way. 

At dinner, everyone’s good mood continues, Steve’s included. Steve’s sitting at the head of the table (Danny can almost hear Kono calling him “boss-man” – he misses her like crazy) and teasing Tani about mermaid camp, making her blush and then sit up straight and defend her love for all things Ariel. 

“You know, those songs just wind their way into your heart, you can’t help it,” Tani explains. She turns to Danny, insistent. “You must have watched that movie with Grace, right? ‘Part of your world?’ ‘Under the sea?’ The animation is fabulous – who can resist that scene with all the different fish begging Prince Eric to kiss the girl?”

“You had a thing for Prince Eric, is that what you’re saying?” Steve prompts. 

“He was clueless, but totally dreamy – right, Noelani?” Tani looks across the table for help, but Noelani just laughs and shakes her head. 

“Sorry, I was more of a Beauty and the Beast fan. Although I think was more in it for Belle.”

Tani pouts and Danny bumps her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Tani, I’m with you on Prince Eric,” Danny says, glancing at Steve out of the corner of his eye to see if he’s listening. He is. “He was oblivious, but charming. And he figured it out in the end.”

Tani beams. “Right?”

Danny feels Steve’s foot twine with his under the table, and he flashes him a smile. He’s sure Steve has caught his meaning, especially when he leans close and says, “you saying I’m too shy, Danno?” Steve curls his voice around the words of the song, giving them a decidedly more sensuous tone than in the Disney classic.

Adam gets up from the table, and Tani turns to Junior, quizzing him on her favorite childhood movies. It’s abysmal, but Junior’s lack of knowledge of all things princess is making Tani cackle, and Junior’s grin reveals that he doesn’t particularly mind.

There’s another nudge at Danny’s ankle and Danny presses back, starting up their game of footsie again.

“You are such a goof,” he says, grinning at Steve.

“Am not.” Steve ducks his head and nips at Danny’s hand as it waves in his general direction. “See. I did it.”

“Did what?” Danny asks.

“Go on and kiss the girl,” Steve half-sings under his breath.

“I’m not a girl.” Danny leans close and whispers in Steve’s ear. “And if that was a kiss, I’m definitely throwing you over for Prince Eric.”

“You moved your hand, it’s not my fault.”

“Like a moving target’s ever been a problem for you.”

“I promise to hit my mark next time,” Steve says, but his attempt at sexy is derailed by the laugh that he’s trying hard to stifle. 

Danny shakes his head. “See. A goof.”

There’s a strangled noise from Noelani, who is looking at Steve and Danny with an expression of gleeful discovery. 

“What?” Steve demands, making his very best “I am simply amused and entirely not at all concerned about what just happened” face.

“Nothing,” Noelani stammers out. “Nothing.”

“Oh, are they flirting again?” Tani asks, turning back to their end of the table. “It’s pretty much a constant. You get used to it.”

Danny feels his face flush, although considering how much alcohol he’s consumed tonight it probably doesn’t even show. 

“What, I can’t show my partner some love?” Steve asks, beaming at Danny. Danny can feel Steve’s fingers brushing his thigh under the table. He’s halfway convinced that Steve is about to lay one on him for real, come out to the whole team without any warning or discussion, when Adam interrupts and starts talking to the group about ‘ohana and how much they all mean to him.

He’s not sure if they’ve been saved by the bell or thrown under the bus, but he catches Noelani eyeing him thoughtfully during Adam’s speech.

At some point, they’re going to have to talk about coming out – who to tell, if anyone, and when. Or at least confirm that they’re on the same page, even if that page is a little blurry. 

Danny wraps his foot back around Steve’s ankle, and Steve shoots a fond look in his direction. 

The moment is interrupted by Tani elbowing Danny and passing him the dessert Lou brought over, a guava chiffon cake with rose colored glaze. Danny serves himself and passes the plate to Steve, who declines, but then announces that he and Danny are sharing.

Danny rolls his eyes, about to protest, but then Steve scoops up a forkful of cake from Danny’s plate and holds it up against Danny’s lips. Danny sticks out his tongue and licks at the cake, hoping for a reaction from Steve. He thinks he’s successful, as Steve starts to babble about how this bakery makes the best chiffon cake on the island and he has been meaning to find the recipe for Danny. “Maybe after you butter my pancakes you can make me a cake,” Steve says under his breath.

Danny isn’t aware that “make me a cake” is a euphemism for anything, and they haven’t quite reached the pancake buttering stage in their sexy-times, but he files the request away for later discussion and focuses on the fork Steve is waving under his nose.

After Danny finally relents and eats the bite of cake, Steve smirks, then reaches over and wipes a dot of red glaze off Danny’s mouth. Holding Danny’s gaze, Steve sucks his finger clean.

Danny can’t find it in himself to care if Noelani is watching them again. He’s having too much goddamn fun.


	17. 9.17

Steve is sitting at his desk, staring out the window, when Danny comes in.

“Ready to head out?”

It’s been a clusterfuck of a day. It shows in the slump of Steve’s shoulders and the tired way he looks up at the sound of Danny’s voice. Danny wishes he could make it better, but he’s not sure how.

“Junior’s not answering his phone.” Steve frowns at his cell, as if it is keeping secrets from him. “I need to talk to him.”

“How about we go find him?”

Steve looks at him blankly, and then Danny shrugs towards the computer. “Use the GPS thingy.”

“Yeah, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” Steve mutters to himself, opening up his laptop and tapping away.

Danny moves over next to him, leaning his hip against Steve’s shoulder. “Is he at the precinct?”

“I’m working on it, give me a sec,” Steve says irritably, but he doesn’t move away from Danny. “There. Huh.” 

*****  
They stop by Steve’s house and pick up Eddie, who is of course oblivious to the day’s events, and riotously happy to see them. Steve rubs the dog’s ears and clips on his leash, then they all pile pack into the truck.

When they get to the park, Eddie woofs in excitement. “Junior used to take him for walks here all the time,” Steve explains. But when they get out of the truck and start off along the path, Steve hesitates.

“You should go,” he says, handing Danny the leash.

“Why? I mean, I will, but you’re the one that wanted to talk to him.” He knows he sounds like he’s complaining, and he isn’t, not really. He’s just confused. 

“I might not be the best person to talk to him right now.”

“Are you kidding? You’re his idol. He always wants to talk to you.”

Steve kicks at a pebble at the edge of the path. “Yeah, but I blew it today.”

Danny waits, and Eddie reluctantly sits by his feet to wait too. Danny can tell Steve isn’t done. And he’s pretty sure this is what Steve has been thinking about all evening.

“I knew Junior had a personal connection to the perp, that Tory was with his ex. I should have taken him off the case.”

Danny nods. He agrees, but it’s not the first time that any of them have been involved in cases with a personal twist, and he says as much.

“I know, but I still should have known better. It was my responsibility to protect him, even from himself. I’m the one with the experience. I was in charge.”

“Would he have listened, if you told him to back off?”

Steve shrugs. 

“Then maybe you did the right thing, you let him make his own decision. Trusted his judgment.”

“No,” Steve says, adamant. “I shouldn’t have let him go to the meet with Tory. I could have spared him this, Danno.” Steve is practically growling, and Eddie turns to him with a whine. “Junior told me he’d do anything for Layla. He still loves her. Now he’s just shot and killed the father of Layla’s child, and he’s going to have to live with that forever. Layla will too.”

Danny swallows hard over the lump in his throat. “Junior’s a good kid. He’ll be okay.” He wishes he could sound more confident.

Steve turns away, rubbing hard at his face. “Just go find him.”

“You’ll stay here?”

Steve waves a hand and starts walking. “I’ll be in the truck. Don’t lose the dog.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

Danny lets Eddie lead him along the path. It’s not long before he can see Junior, sitting by a big rock and gazing out over the dark water.

He unclips Eddie’s leash and pats his back. “Go on.”

Eddie runs off with an excited yip, and Junior looks up in surprise when Eddie practically tumbles into his lap.

Junior buries his face in the dog’s fur, and Danny leaves them alone for a few minutes before he comes over. He sinks down on the dirt next to Junior and accepts a wet nudge from Eddie in greeting, the dog just as thrilled to see him as if he hadn’t been with Danny just moments ago.

They sit quietly for a while, until Junior starts to fidget. He’s probably wondering where Steve is, Danny thinks wryly. 

“I left Steve at the truck,” Danny says. “He’s worried about you, but he’s not part of the club.”

Junior looks up at Danny, perplexed. “The club?”

“Yeah. Only open to people who shoot their ex’s lovers. Very exclusive.”

Junior’s eyes widen. “What? You…?”

“Yup.” Danny doesn’t think this is why Steve actually sent him to talk to Junior – that has more to do with Steve’s overwhelming need to protect his team, and his belief that he failed in his duty today – but it’s true nonetheless.

“You gonna tell me?” Junior’s eyes are red, but Danny has definitely got his attention.

“Some scumbag kidnapped Gracie, told me that if I didn’t kill Stan, I wouldn’t get her back. So I shot him.” Danny ducks his head and rubs his face, the panic of that day suddenly making his guts clench even now. “Didn’t kill him, luckily. He wasn’t pointing a gun at me, like Tory was pointing at you. But Stan was totally innocent,” another important difference between Stan and Tory, Danny thinks fleetingly, “and I shot him.”

“Wow,” Junior says. “Was Rachel mad?”

Danny huffs. “She wasn’t happy. But given that I did it to keep Gracie safe… it was a bad day all around.”

Junior turns back to Eddie, sliding his fingers under the dog’s collar and holding on tight. “I can’t believe I had to shoot Tory. Layla will never forgive me.” Junior lays his head on Eddie’s neck.

There’s not much more Danny can say, so he just sits and listens to the waves crashing on the rocks below. The sun has long set, and it’s getting chilly. After a few more minutes Danny hauls himself up, and reaches out a hand to Junior. “Come on, let’s go.”

Junior doesn’t protest, and before long they’re back at the parking lot. Steve is in the truck, and jolts when Danny taps on the door.

Steve gets out of the car and pulls Junior into a hug, mumbling something into his ear. When they part, Junior looks at the two of them, eyes big, and sniffs.

“Thanks. I really appreciate it, you guys coming to find me.” Junior crouches down and rubs Eddie’s face. “You too, boy.”

“Want to come back to the house? Guest room’s all made up,” Steve offers.

“No. I just want to go home.”

“Take Eddie with you?” Danny suggests.

Junior actually smiles a little at this. “Yeah, that’d be great. I’ll bring him back tomorrow.”

“No rush,” Steve says. They exchange goodbyes, and Junior walks off to his car, Eddie by his side. Steve stares after him.

“Hey,” Danny says, bumping his shoulder against Steve’s. “Give me the keys. I’ll drive.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Steve hands over the keys, not protesting.

In the truck on the way back Steve leans against the window. The atmosphere is tense, but Danny knows it’s not his fault. He just wants to get Steve home safe and sound and then see what he can do to ease his pain.

Steve doesn’t question that they’re going back to his place together, and that Danny is staying over. It’s not an everyday thing, yet, but even back before they were involved, a bad day at work usually meant a sleepover. 

Danny gets them each a beer and they sit down on the couch. Steve clicks through the channels, not really watching anything. Danny exchanges a few texts with Grace, and then turns his attention back to Steve, who is now up and pacing around the room, with occasional pointless detours into the kitchen.

“Hey,” Danny says, and Steve spins towards him, almost surprised to hear his voice.

“What?”

Danny gets up, his hands moving at his sides. Calm down, he thinks, and his face must convey his thoughts, as Steve shakes his head and runs his hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry,” Steve says. “I’m just… maybe I’ll go for a run.”

Their heads both swivel to the window, where the rain that has been threatening all day is now coming down steadily.

“Or not,” Danny says lightly. He moves closer to Steve. “How about we hit the hay? I’m about ready for this day to be over.”

Steve wrinkles his nose at this. It’s barely ten o’clock at night, clearly real men don’t go to bed this early.

Danny puts a hand on Steve’s arm, runs it up to his neck and gives him a squeeze. Tense as a rock, as he expected. “I’ll give you a back massage.”

“Danny…” 

“It won’t solve the world’s problems, I know. But it might make you feel better.”

Steve cracks a wan smile at this. “You do have good hands.”

Danny smiles back. “I do.”

“Fine.”

They go upstairs, Steve stripping off his clothes as he goes. Always taking the opportunity to remove his shirt, Danny thinks fondly. Not that Danny minds.

After Danny brushes his teeth and tosses his own clothes in the hamper he hunts around in the bathroom cabinet until he finds it, an unopened bottle of massage oil he brought over in a burst of optimism ages ago. 

Steve is in bed already, curled up on his side with the sheet pulled up to his chin. 

“Roll over, on your stomach.”

Steve blinks. “You don’t have to do this, Danny.”

Danny rolls his eyes exaggeratedly. “I know, it’s such a hardship. Come on, big guy, assume the position.”

Steve huffs out a laugh and turns over. Danny tugs the sheet off him and then arranges himself over Steve, knees flanking him on either side. He pops open the container of oil and pours out a little in his hands.

When he starts in on Steve’s back, making long strokes up and down either side of his spine, Steve lets out a long breath. Danny keeps up a steady pace, the movement and touch relaxing them both. 

“Smells good,” Steve says eventually. “What is it?”

“Sandalwood and vanilla.” 

“Mmm.”

Steve’s response reassures Danny that his actions are having the desired effect. He moves his hands to the top of Steve’s shoulders and smooths down his arms, again stroking up and down, with only a little pressure for the knots he finds. He’s just aiming to relax Steve, to calm him. 

As Danny goes on, Steve’s breathing slows, and Danny stills his hands.

“No, don’t stop,” Steve breathes out, and Danny’s heart fills. He leans down and presses a kiss to the side of Steve’s face, lips catching on his stubble.

“Okay, I won’t.”

Danny sits down lightly on the curve of Steve’s ass and lets his hands move further down Steve’s back. He wraps his fingers around Steve’s sides and digs his thumbs into the muscles just above and underneath the waistband of Steve’s boxers, harder and then softer, then goes back to pressing his palms up to his shoulder blades and back down again.

Steve makes a long, satisfied sound like air whooshing out of a tire, and Danny smiles. He leans forward again to nuzzle at Steve’s neck, enjoying the feel of his chest against Steve’s warm, oily skin. 

Steve hums in enjoyment and wiggles his butt a little, bringing Danny’s attention to the way his dick is pressing rather happily into Steve’s ass, even through two layers of boxer shorts. Danny slumps down on Steve and slides off to the side enough to drop a quick kiss on his lips. He finds Steve’s eyes, trying to gauge whether the situation is moving towards orgasms or sleep, and Steve grins lazily at him.

“Nice massage.”

“Thank you.”

Steve shifts and, suddenly not so boneless, reaches down and palms Danny’s growing erection. “You aren’t that relaxed,” he teases, sliding his hand under Danny’s shorts and taking him in hand. 

“You gonna do something about that?” Danny shivers with pleasure, loving the feel of Steve’s hand on him, but the angle isn’t quite right and he wants more. He shoves his boxers down and out of the way, and Steve does the same. Then they’re reaching for each other, all grabbing hands and wet kisses and long panting sighs.

It’s amazing to Danny, every time, how well they fit together. Steve is attentive in bed, and knows just how to make Danny squirm in all the right ways. Tonight Steve’s a little less confident than usual, but it doesn’t matter, Danny just fills the gaps himself, pushing a little where Steve needs him to, whispering dirty things into his ear and letting Steve know just how much he turns Danny on.

Steve comes with a shudder and a gasp, and Danny follows soon afterwards, his orgasm crashing over him and shooting sparks through his body. They lie there for a while, Steve practically face down in his pillow, eyes shut and long lashes fluttering over his cheeks.

Eventually Steve pulls his knees up, curling in on himself, and Danny reaches for him.

“Hey, hey, come here,” he says, bundling Steve against his chest. Danny runs his fingers through Steve’s hair, holding him close, and Steve latches on, his arm heavy over Danny’s body.

“You’re okay, babe,” Danny soothes. He keeps expecting Steve to snap out of it, to pull back and give him one of those knowing smirks and then leap out of bed and stride nakedly across the room to check the locks on the doors, or clean his gun, or something else ridiculously sexy and sure. But it doesn’t happen, so Danny keeps stroking his back and rubbing his cheek against Steve’s head, hoping it’s enough.

“You’re so good to me, Danny,” Steve finally says, his breath puffing against Danny’s damp skin. “You always look out for me. You look out for everyone.”

“Same as you, babe.”

Steve tenses at this, and Danny would smack himself upside the head if his arms weren’t fully occupied with a very long and clingy man. Steve is still raw from today’s mess, and apparently not done beating himself up for it.

“It wasn’t your fault, Steve. It wasn’t.” Danny cups Steve’s cheek and runs his thumb along Steve’s face until he opens his eyes. “You need to let it go.”

Steve squeezes his eyes together, and then he butts his head against Danny’s chest. “What if I can’t?”

Danny sighs, rocking Steve against him. “Just for tonight, then. Let it go for tonight, get some sleep. Worry about it tomorrow.”

Miraculously this seems to satisfy Steve, who relaxes in his arms, just enough for them both to shift into one of their more familiar sleeping positions, Danny on his back and Steve curled up against him. 

“Tomorrow’ll be a better day,” Danny says. It’s a platitude, but it’s probably not a lie, because today was pretty bad.

Steve raises up on an elbow and gazes at Danny, and then that smirk slowly, finally, makes an appearance. “I don’t know, will you be there?”

Danny shoves at Steve’s arm, and Steve sways, his smile broadening. “Yeah, buddy, you’re stuck with me.”

Steve grins. “Guess that’ll be okay.” He ducks down and presses a wet kiss to Danny’s lips, and then slumps against him, content. 

Danny shuffles closer, finally feeling like he can close his eyes and rest. Steve’s right there with him, his breathing gradually slowing. Just before Danny drifts off, he feels another kiss to his cheek. “Thanks, Danno. Love you.”

“Love you too, babe.” Danny slides into sleep with his lover’s arms around him, and his heart full with the knowledge that no matter what they face during the day, they can find comfort in each other at night. For now, it will do.


	18. 9.18

Steve is frozen in place, standing at the door to the hotel room as Amanda leaves, her black evening wear glittering as she strides away. She’s headed downstairs to meet Danny, who thinks that Steve is coming to join him for a well-earned drink after a long day of being berated by his ex-mother-in-law. Instead, Danny is going to be ambushed by said ex-mother-in-law, who Steve has concluded is at least as dysfunctional as his own mother.

Steve hadn’t been all that surprised when Amanda (“call me Mandy”) summoned him back up to the room, on the pretense of having heard a strange noise coming from the balcony. She’s not the most subtle person in the world. And the questions she fired at Steve about Danny weren’t entirely unexpected, not after Steve opened the door at dinner by making it clear that in Steve’s view, Danny did not deserve the shit Mandy was shoveling.

Mandy apparently already knew about the liver donation (although the way her lip twitched when Steve mentioned it seemed to indicate she thought Danny a fool for risking his health for Steve, which didn’t sit too well with him), and how much of a role Danny played in his children’s lives (soccer, scouts, cheer team, college search). She tried to get Steve to agree that Danny’s job was unreasonably dangerous, and wondered if running a restaurant was still on the table.

Steve had promised to be quiet and look handsome, but he couldn’t help but defend Danny in the face of Mandy’s interrogation. Frankly, he was all too close to confessing that what he felt for Danny was more than just friendship. But then Mandy started asking him about how much time Danny had been spending with Rachel, and Steve realized with a sickening jolt where all this was going. Hell, it was probably the reason Mandy came to Oahu.

By the time Mandy swiped Steve’s phone and texted Danny, Steve was spinning novel-length worst case scenarios in his head. Spending all this time with Danny was bound to affect him in more ways than one.

Steve retrieves his phone from the couch where Mandy had dropped it and blinks at the newest text, a message from the car service Mandy had ordered earlier. Because of course even Danny’s Camaro, his pride and joy, isn’t good enough for her majesty. 

A memory flashes before his eyes - another muscle car, in another place and time. Two boys cruising with the top down on a deserted highway. The summer after Steve’s senior year in high school, one of his buddies had to return his uncle’s borrowed Ford Mustang, necessitating a road trip. Marco proposed that Steve come along, just the two of them, driving cross-country. For a high school kid, this was freedom.

Marco was tall and lean, with curly hair and dark sparkling eyes. Third generation Mexican-American, his father was a state congressman and military through and through. Marco intended to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue politics after a stint in the Army. Steve had never met anyone quite like him, with his quick wit and his fierce love for his family.

The first day on the road they blasted music and ate their weight in junk food, driving late into the night just to see how long they could stay awake on caffeine pills and coca cola. They slept in the car in the parking lot of a rest stop, blearily stumbling into a sticky diner in the morning for coffee that tasted like sludge but was the best cup of joe Steve had ever had.

Thing is, you can’t go on a road trip on an island that you can drive across in an hour. Road trips were something Steve had read about in books, seen in movies, but never experienced. Turns out, the movies were right – road trips were awesome.

Of course, he had no interest in ending his life in a dramatic Thelma and Louise moment, but drinking cheap beer in a bar where no one knew their names (or cared who their fathers were) and then sleeping it off in the back seat of the car was a pretty damn good time.

Steve’s phone vibrates in his hand, and forces him to focus on the present. He looks down to see a text from Danny. _Ha, ha, nice set up. Heading out, see you tomorrow._

Steve stares at the phone for a long moment, trying to read more into those ten words. Why didn’t Danny suggest they get together now? Is he headed to Rachel’s? Should Steve respond, demand to know what’s going on?

He sags forward, his head in his hands. Steve has tried to be the friend that Danny deserves, the partner he deserves. The boyfriend he wants him to be. But he’s afraid it’s not enough.

Steve’s been annoyed with Mandy all day long, but he realizes he’s been kind of ticked off at Danny, too, for letting Mandy treat him so poorly. Mandy’s theatrics were over the top, but Danny seemed to accept it as his due. Mandy clearly knows how to play into Danny’s insecurities, his long-standing doubt in himself that Rachel had only confirmed by leaving him for a rich, successful businessman. 

Steve wanted to believe that Danny just allowed it to keep the peace, but he wonders if maybe Danny really buys into it. 

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Steve really did try to behave today, to stick to the script Danny had laid out. But he should have known there was more to a day with Amanda Savage than Danny let on. For god’s sake, Danny was willing to trade bragging rights to saving Steve’s life for one day of babysitting, this should have raised a giant red flag. But it didn’t, at least not until now, when it might just be too late.

Steve’s eyes fall on the fancy box holding the cufflinks Mandy gave him, another deliberate snub to Danny. What the hell is wrong with this woman? She clearly came to Oahu to manipulate Danny into getting back together with Rachel, that much is clear to him now after their parting conversation. Was beating Danny down for the past twelve hours – for the past decade or two – just part of her long game? Does it somehow give her more power over him?

And there is anything Steve can do about it? 

Steve has been teetering on the edge of a precipice all day, watching Mandy toy with Danny like a spoiled dog in thousand dollar pumps. When Mandy swiped his phone to text Danny, Steve felt himself falling over the edge.

Another memory from his long ago road trip with Marco flashes through his mind. 

After three nights of sleeping in the car, both of them are ready for a change, so when Marco suggests they veer off their path Steve readily agrees. They stop at a state park and hike for a few hours, over and around dramatic rock formations, finally finding their way to a waterfall that rivals Hawaii’s finest. 

He and Marco strip to their shorts and wade into the freezing cold water, staring up at the gorgeous cascade crashing down in front of them. They swim for a little while, the area to themselves, and Steve can’t stop himself from staring at the way Marco’s wet curls cling to his forehead. Better that than examining how his thin cotton boxers cling to his ass.

When Marco grabs him by the arm and drags him out on to the rocks to dry off, his hand lingering just a little too long on Steve’s skin, Steve knows Marco’s been watching him, too.

They spend the night in a hotel that caters to vacationing families in the area, a step up from most of the roadside places they drove by on their journey. Marco insists that they order room service, and they laugh as they toss French fries to each other, each seated on one of the double beds. When Marco’s aim goes awry and a pile of fries land next to Steve instead of in the vicinity of his mouth, Marco brushes it off and says they’ll just share Marco’s bed. To avoid sleeping in the grease spots. Of course.

The next day they resume their trip, and by nightfall, they reach Marco’s uncle’s house. He treats them to dinner out at a local barbeque place and they feast on brisket and baby back ribs, cheesy corn and loaded potatoes. Marco drives Steve to the station the next day in the Mustang, now empty of soda cans and candy wrappers. Marco waves goodbye as the train pulls away, his smile as bright as the summer sun.

Steve hasn’t thought about Marco in a long time. Hasn’t seen him since that road trip, either.

Back in the here and how, in Mandy’s hotel room, Steve stands up slowly from the couch. Time to leave.

Steve wishes he could take a detour, put off the inevitable for a little bit longer. But Amanda Savage has done what she came to do. Steve fleetingly considers going to Danny’s house, making his case, demanding that Danny remember all the misery Rachel put him through. But he’s not going to.

Because every road trip has an end, and maybe Rachel was the destination all along.


	19. 9.19

“Thanks for helping me with this, Uncle D,” Eric says, handing Danny a beer. “I owe you one.”

Danny nods and accepts the bottle, which is sweating nearly as much as he is, and takes a long swig. He’s spent the day helping Eric paint his new house, a one-story bungalow in Makiki. Eric’s been saving his pennies for a while, but lab techs don’t make that much money, and his new place definitely needed some work. A fresh coat of paint has done wonders, however, and Danny stands back and admires their efforts.

“Looks good, right D?” Eric says, wiping his face with his sleeve. It’s unseasonably hot, and there’s no shade in sight.

“At least the paint does.” Danny gives Eric a little shove, and Eric pushes him back, smirking.

“At least I’m not living on your couch.”

“Amen to that.”

Eric is humming something, and then he grins and sings to Danny, horribly off key. “So it’s a bit of a fixer-upper, it’s got a few flaws.” He makes a Vanna White-worthy gesture towards the house. “We can fix this fixer-upper with a little bit of love!”

“I’m not gonna ask how you know the words to that song.” Danny brushes a hand over his head, belatedly realizing that it’s still wet with paint, and groans. It’s damn hard to get paint out of his hair.

Eric gives Danny an innocent look. “Frozen? It’s a classic. Just ask Charlie, he loves it.”

As if Danny could forget. Despite the annoyance of having his kid sing the same song off-key over and over – with even less talent than Eric – Danny smiles at the thought of Charlie dancing around in front of the television watching his current favorite movie. “Do I have you to blame for his insistence on repeated viewings of said classic?”

Eric grins as he gathers the brushes and rollers and puts them in a pile to clean. “Maybe. Hey, I can pay you back for today with some babysitting, so you and Rachel can go out together again.” 

Danny squints at Eric, who is directing a hose at the pile of brushes and succeeding mostly in getting yellow paint splattered on the driveway, and frowns. “Rachel and I didn’t go out together.”

“A coulple of days ago, after work? You were complaining about the food, said the pasta was mushy?”

“That wasn’t… it was with Charlie.”

“Exactly. Next time I’ll babysit Charlie, and you won’t have to drag him along.”

Eric puts an end to further conversation by tripping over the hose and spraying water all over Danny, who then has no choice but to get his nephew in a headlock and drench him. By the time they’ve calmed down, there is water and paint everywhere, and Danny has forgotten Eric’s offer completely.

Later, still covered in paint and soaking wet, Danny pulls into his driveway, disappointed not to see Steve’s truck there. He and Steve haven’t had a chance to hang out much over the past few days, busy with two separate cases. While they often try to take their days off together, this week Danny took an extra day to help Eric, and somehow Steve didn’t take the hint and join in. Not knowing whether it was an intentional snub or just an oversight, Danny didn’t mention it, although the day would have been a lot more fun with Steve there too. 

Danny glances down at his phone before he gets out of his car. He had texted Steve when he and Eric took a break for lunch, asking if he wanted to get together tonight. Steve still hasn’t responded. He knows Five-0 is done for the day, since Tani already texted him with some questions about Hirsch and gave him the run down of the day’s events.

He hopes Steve isn’t annoyed at him. He thinks back to Eric’s comment about babysitting, and remembers that Steve was there, too, during his rant about the overcooked pasta at the Sheraton. Does Steve think something’s going on between him and Rachel? Did Danny somehow forget to mention that it was a dinner for Charlie’s scout troop with about twenty other kids and their parents? 

He frowns and shoots off another text.

_Everything okay? Offer’s still open. I’m done at Eric’s, come over if you can._

Danny goes to his door, briefly contemplating stripping off his paint splattered tank top and shorts before he goes in the house, but settles for taking off his drenched sneakers and leaving them on the mat.

Once inside, he wanders into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator door, staring inside long enough to laugh at himself. There’s nothing remotely interesting in there, unless you count half a dozen eggs and some leftover pad thai. The freezer isn’t much better, but there’s a package of Charlie’s favorite ice cream sandwiches calling his name. Danny takes one and leans heavily against the counter as he unwraps it and takes a bite. Mmm, dinner of champions, he thinks to himself wryly. 

His phone pings with a text. Finally.

_I’ll be there._

Steve’s a man of few words, but at least he’s on his way. Danny considers ordering a pizza, but that always runs the risk that Steve will be annoyed at his unhealthy food choice, or just that he ordered without consulting him. But if he texts him to ask about dinner, they might start arguing before Danny has a chance to even see the guy. He decides he’ll wait until Steve arrives, and then see what he’s in the mood for.

Danny’s in the shower, scrubbing the sweat and yellow paint splatters off his skin, when he hears the bathroom door open. Before he manages to peek around the curtain and say hi, Steve reaches in and grabs his arm, leaning in to plant a fierce kiss on his lips that gets him going faster than he would have thought possible.

“Holy crap,” Danny breathes out, as Steve crowds into the shower with him and proceeds to kiss down Danny’s chest, apparently not at all concerned about the fact that he hasn’t taken any of his own clothes off. “Steve, are you – not that I’m objecting, but – oh, fuck…” Danny loses the capacity for rational thought when Steve sucks his half-hard cock into his mouth and begins to work it with his tongue. 

The sight of Steve taking him down, head bobbing on his cock, wet hair plastered to his head, is one Danny isn’t likely to forget anytime soon. His legs are getting wobbly and he grabs at Steve’s shoulders, the wet cotton of his shirt bunching under his fingers. Steve keeps on going, hands firm on Danny’s hips, and doesn’t let up until Danny comes so hard he practically falls down.

Steve doesn’t give him a chance, though, tugging him out of the shower and into the bedroom, where he strips off his own wet clothes in record time. Danny tries to reach for Steve, to get his hand around him, but Steve shakes his head.

“Not this time.” He manhandles Danny over onto his stomach, and gives his ass a firm squeeze. “I’ve got something else in mind.” Steve plasters himself over Danny’s back, his cock pressing hot against Danny’s skin, and whispers roughly into his ear. “What do you say? You up for it?”

They haven’t done anal before, but Steve is clearly on fire right now, and Danny’s been thinking about it for ages. “Yeah. Yeah.”

Steve leans in for a hard kiss, tongue darting in and out, while his fingers find their way to Danny’s hole. He finds the lube somewhere along the way, and preps Danny quickly, stretching him until Danny is writhing back up against him and, much to his embarrassment, pretty much begging for more.

When Steve finally gets lined up and pushes in, all the air rushes out of his lungs, and Danny thinks for a minute that he might pass out. But Steve is shushing him and rubbing his hands up and down his sides, and soon he’s pressing back again, eager for Steve to move. Danny realizes he’s hard again and Steve gets a hand around him, working him over front and back. It’s almost too much to take, and Danny lets himself go, lost in it, Steve all around him.

It’s over all too fast as Steve comes with a muffled shout, face pressed against the back of Danny’s neck, and Danny’s own orgasm rushes through him.

Steve rolls off Danny, one hand still possessively spread over the small of his back. It takes a little while for things to come back into focus, but Danny is in no rush. He’s pretty sure he’s just been introduced to the real meaning of “fucked out,” and it’s a beautiful thing.

Finally Danny has to shift, and he stretches slowly, testing out just how sore he might be tomorrow. It feels way too good for him to care. He ends up on his side facing Steve, who has a blissed out look on his face that fills Danny with pleasure.

“Guess you weren’t worried about me having dinner with Rachel the other night, huh?”

The blissed out look on Steve’s face disappears so fast Danny shivers. 

“I didn’t say that.” Steve blinks and sits up, the sheet pooling at his waist. He’s staring at Danny, his face gone horribly blank.

“Look, Steve, there’s nothing going on between me and Rachel. Promise.”

“It’s not over, Danny.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Rachel doesn’t want it to be over. Amanda made that clear. And until you make it clear…”

“Steve,” Danny pleads, sitting up. He doesn’t know how they’ve gone from blisteringly hot sex to this so quickly. “There’s nothing. Really.” He reaches for Steve but Steve practically flinches, so his hand winds up fluttering aimlessly near Steve’s arm before he gives up and rests it on the bed next to them. “I am not getting back together with Rachel. I’m really not. What do I have to do to convince you?”

Steve pulls himself up straighter, squaring his shoulders. “There’s going to come a time, soon, when you can’t avoid the question anymore. Rachel will suggest a dinner out, and when you get there, you’ll see it’s just the two of you at a restaurant with candles and low lighting.” His tone is so bitter, Danny can hardly stand it. “Or she’ll brush a kiss along your cheek when she says goodbye, her lips getting just to the edge of your mouth…”

“That’s not gonna happen.” 

“It is,” Steve says firmly. “And when it does,” Steve’s face finally loses the scary blank look, and instead his eyes widen with emotion. “Choose me, Danny. Choose me.”


	20. 9.20

Danny wakes up slowly, his body reluctant to get up and face the day. As has become his habit, he carefully tests his muscles to figure out if there’s anything that’s going to give him a problem when he tries to get out of bed – it’s a hazard when you spend so many days chasing after bad guys.

But the case of the community .38 was more a mental challenge than a physical one, and except for a familiar twinge in his knee, he doesn’t discover anything out of the ordinary.

The bed shifts and Steve flops over, spooning up against Danny’s back and slinging a heavy arm over his side. He had come over late last night after his trip to California with Duke, making himself at home in Danny’s bed as if he belonged there – which, as far as Danny is concerned, he does.

Steve presses his palm flat against Danny’s bare chest, and snuffles adorably against the back of his neck.

“Good morning to you, too,” Danny mumbles, wiggling a little to get comfortable in Steve’s embrace. He drifts back into sleep, enjoying the feeling of having Steve all around him, sleep warm and relaxed.

Some time later Danny wakes to the smell of coffee. He gets up reluctantly, pulling on a pair of shorts, and meets Steve in the kitchen. Disappointingly, Steve is fully dressed, and he gives Danny a wide eyed look of apology.

“I promised Junior I’d go to the range with him this morning, and then I’ve got a meeting at the base.”

“It’s okay,” Danny says. He coaches Charlie’s Little League team today anyway, and he’s got about a thousand errands to run after that.

“You’re free tonight, right?”

As if he’d have any plans on Saturday night other than hanging out with Steve. “I can probably clear my calendar.”

“Good. I’ll pick you up at six.” Steve grins confidently at Danny, and gives him a slap on the ass as he brushes past on his way out the door. Cocky bastard.

Danny’s at the grocery store later that afternoon when Steve texts him.

_It’ll be more like six-thirty._

_Okay, that’s fine._ It’ll give him time to get ready, Danny thinks. He’s still in the t-shirt he wore to Charlie’s game, which may or may not have shave ice dripped on it from taking him out to eat afterwards. _Where are we going?_

_That’s need to know._

Danny shakes his head. _I do need to know, so I can dress appropriately._

_No ties. Casual._

Danny has learned from experience that the two of them have very different definitions of the word “casual.” _Business casual or beach bum casual?_

His phone rings, and Danny picks up. “What? It’s a reasonable question.”

“It doesn’t matter what you wear, Danny, just be ready at six-thirty.”

He loves Steve’s mildly exasperated tone. “Steve, come on, I can’t afford to ruin another pair of dress shoes, not on the salary you pay me.”

Steve huffs at him. “I don’t set your salary, Danny, we’ve been over this. Just wear whatever you’ve got on right now.”

“A stained t-shirt and sneakers?”

“Yes, perfect.”

“You’re an animal, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.”

By the time Steve picks him up, Danny has showered and changed into a clean black t-shirt, but he sticks with shorts and sneakers. He suspects Steve is going to take him to one of his secret favorite places – he still manages to present Danny with new ones, despite how long they’ve known each other – and those tend to fall squarely in the beach casual zone, although often with hiking thrown in too.

His suspicions are confirmed when they drive up to the north shore, although he loses track of exactly where they’re going as Steve fills him in on his trip the day before with Duke. 

“It was a little scary, seeing Duke standing over the guy, ready to fire another shot. I guess he had a lot of pent-up anger over what happened to his partner all those years ago. Said he hadn’t really talked to anyone about it.”

“Gee, maybe talking about stuff isn’t such a bad idea?”

Steve glares at Danny. “That’s what I’m doing, isn’t it?”

“So how do you feel about yesterday’s adventure?”

“It wasn’t so much what happened yesterday, as…” Steve keeps his eyes firmly on the road as he speaks. “Made me remember that night with my dad, when I was a kid, and he went out.”

Danny feels a lump in his throat. He puts a hand on Steve’s leg. “It’s okay to miss him.”

Steve glances over to Danny. “I know. It’s… it’s more than that, though. I guess it kinda made me feel close to him? To finish off the case, and find that guy?”

“That makes sense. He’d be proud of you.”

Steve shrugs this off. “That’s not what I mean.”

Danny senses there is something he’s missing, which isn’t all that unusual when it comes to Steve and feelings. He thinks back over what Steve told him about the night his dad responded to Duke’s call, and takes a chance.

“Maybe you understand why he had to go out that night, and, um, other times too?”

Steve nods almost imperceptibly. He’s suddenly holding himself very still.

“Why he had to do a lot of things, to protect people,” Danny goes on. “Even things that maybe didn’t go so well for you?” Like sending Steve and his sister away from their home. Like putting an ocean of distance between a teenager and the only parent he had left.

They pull over to the side of the road, and Steve brakes just a tad too hard. “I should have understood before. I should have forgiven him. He was trying to do the right thing. He sacrificed, too.”

Danny gives Steve’s leg a squeeze. “Kids aren’t often very good at that sort of stuff. It doesn’t matter. It’s not a dad’s job to need forgiveness.”

Steve seems to think about this for a minute, and then lets a long breath out on a sigh. “Well, water under the bridge.” He turns to Danny. “Let’s go.”

Steve hefts a backpack onto his shoulder, and leads the way down a narrow path that eventually takes them to a deserted section of beach. Steve continues on for a few more minutes, apparently searching for just the right spot, and finally stops under the shade of a cluster of palm trees and sets down his bag.

“This is beautiful,” Danny says, although it hardly needs to be said. There’s a gentle curve to the shoreline, with waves breaking over the large rocks off to one side. 

Steve nods, letting a smile finally spread across his face. “I thought you’d like it.”

Danny sits down on the plaid blanket Steve has spread over the sand, and examines the meal Steve has laid out. Kalua pork, still warm and steaming when Steve pulls it out of an insulated container. Huli-huli chicken. A dish of sweet potatoes – probably in place of poi, which neither Steve nor Danny like very much. Two purple taro rolls wrapped in a colorful cloth, and a box of what Danny guesses are coco puffs.

When he meets Steve’s gaze, the serious look on his face surprises him.

“This should have been your welcome to the island, Danny,” Steve says. “I’m sorry I wasn’t around when you got here, but you never should have been alone, scrounging for food at a convenience store. Chasing a perp without your service weapon. No wonder you didn’t like it here.”

Steve turns and digs around in his now almost empty backpack, and then turns back to Danny, a purple and white lei in his hands. He kneels in front of Danny and places the flowers carefully over his head.

“Aloha, Danny. Welcome to Oahu.”

Danny feels tears gather in his eyes. He touches the orchids and inhales their fresh scent. “Thank you.” His throat is tight, and he begs himself not to actually cry, although he realizes he’s fighting a losing battle as one tear slips down his cheek.

“Hey, don’t…” Steve wipes Danny’s face with his thumb.

“No, it’s okay, I’m just…” Danny can’t really finish his thought, but Steve seems to get it, and smiles softly at him.

“Okay.” Steve leans in, one hand still cupping Danny’s cheek, and kisses him. Danny opens his mouth, letting Steve in, even as his breath still hitches with emotion. Steve pulls him against his chest, and Danny immediately protests.

“Careful, don’t squash it.”

Steve grins. “All right, fine. We need to eat now anyway, before this gets cold.”

Danny agrees easily, glad for the chance to calm down. But in between bites he can’t help touching the flowers on the lei, feeling the smoothness of the petals. Steve sees him doing it, and from the expression on his face, he’s almost as affected as Danny is.

Later, when they’re lying together on the blanket, listening to the waves crash against the sand, Danny finally finds his words. “Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”


	21. 9.21

The elevator door closes, and Steve looks Danny up and down. “You look good today.”

“What?” They’re going to see a lawyer about an old lady’s will, and Danny is trying hard not to hope that whatever she left him might help pay for Grace’s college tuition. Maybe cover her freshman year, anyway.

“I said,” Steve steps closer, right into Danny’s space, “you look good today.”

Danny’s eyes dart around, confirming that indeed, they are in an elevator in a public building, and are only going to the fourth floor and therefore don’t have very much time before the doors open again.

“Are you crazy?” he asks, as Steve reaches over and adjusts Danny’s collar, which he is damn sure does not need adjusting.

“Am I not allowed to admire my boyfriend?”

He used the “b” word. Danny is about to explode – or kiss him, right here in this little box. But then, of course, the door slides open and two more people get in. And to think Danny assumed that all those Grey’s Anatomy scenes in the elevator were far-fetched.

*****  
“I cannot believe she left all her money to the humane society,” Danny gripes under his breath as the lawyer fetches some more paperwork to make sure the transfer of the glass cat figurines is documented. 

“Don’t be such a grump,” Steve says. “Grace is going to be fine.”

“Wait – how did you know that’s what I wanted the money for?”

Steve shrugs. “I know you, Daniel. I know what you’re actually worried about. And you’re not going to retire until I do.”

*****  
Back at headquarters, Tani is beaming at her phone, and she gives Danny a delighted look.

“Something amusing?” Danny asks.

She shows him. Steve has sent the pictures he took of Danny in the lawyer’s office to the team, along with a few Danny hadn’t noticed him taking. There’s a shot of him starting to walk away, his head turned to see if Steve is following him. It’s captioned “looking good, Danno.”

Danny tries not to think about how the picture is focused on his ass.

*****  
“I think it’s the shirt,” Steve says conversationally. They’ve gone out to grab some lunch for the team. Danny might even bring something back for Ricky if he’s feeling generous.

“What about my shirt?”

Steve parks the truck and looks thoughtfully at Danny. It makes him want to squirm, but he breathes slowly and resists Steve’s attempt to rile him up, here in the middle of their work day, in the parking lot of the Rainbow Diner.

“It just fits you so well. Your shoulders, and your chest…” Steve isn’t touching him, but he might as well be, the way Danny’s heart is speeding up. “Do you get them custom made?”

“No, Steven, I do not. Do you even know how much bespoke tailoring costs? Pretty sure I got this shirt on sale from Macy’s.”

“Slim fit, then?”

“Yeah, sure, I guess.” Danny gets out of the truck, in hopes that Steve will calm down, and that his body will, too. His pants are slim fit as well, and they aren’t going to hide what’s going on down there for much longer. “Can we get the food now, please?”

Steve grins at him, and grabs his shoulders from behind, giving them a quick squeeze as they walk across the lot. “Whatever you say.” Steve’s hands are warm through the thin cotton of Danny’s shirt, and his breath on Danny’s ear makes him shiver.

*****  
“I’ll bet you anything his girlfriend alibi checks out,” Danny says, after they finish interrogating Manoa. “That guy’s too lazy to commit murder.”

“I agree,” Steve says. “He’s an idiot, but I think he’s telling the truth. Hey,” Steve pauses in the hallway, “are you sure you won’t take the cat? How bad could it be?”

“Bad enough. I just don’t want it, all right?”

Steve looks Danny up and down. “I guess you wouldn’t want cat hair on your clothes.”

“What is it with you and my clothes today? That grooming comment in the car…” 

“You are kind of like that cat, you know. Gorgeous blue eyes, nice to touch.”

“That isn’t exactly how you described me earlier.” 

Steve laughs. “You were so busy arguing against your cat-like nature you didn’t even object to Ricky calling you Robin. How do you think he knows?”

Danny rolls his eyes. “He doesn’t know anything. And we never indulged your Batman kink, so there’s nothing to know.”

“Maybe we should try it after all,” Steve says. “You might like it. You can be my little sidekick.”

“Okay, now that’s not how it would go-”

“No, you’re right. Robin was a kid. You’re not.” 

The tone of Steve’s voice is downright dirty, and Danny has to remind himself once again that they’re at work. He’d remind Steve again, but he doesn’t think it would do any good, not with the mood he’s in today.

Suddenly Danny has a flash of inspiration. Two can play at this game. “I don’t know why my sartorial choices have caught your attention today of all days. You’re the one dressing up. One might think you were trying to impress the old lady’s lawyer.”

Steve’s brow furrows. “Dressing up?”

Danny moves towards him, warming to his task. “You know how this brings out your eyes.” He runs a finger down Steve’s dark blue shirt, and Steve freezes in place. “You always wear it when you want to make a good impression.”

Steve recovers all too quickly. “Who says I was trying to impress the lawyer?” Steve’s eyes meet Danny’s, and his heated expression is almost too much to take. Danny’s about to just give the fuck up, throw him against the wall outside the rendition room and kiss that smug grin off his face, when Lou radios to tell them he found something they need to see.

“We’re talking about this later,” Danny says, and turns on his heel to go up to the office. Steve pinches Danny’s ass as they climb the stairs and snorts when Danny squeaks. Bastard.

*****

“I think they’ll be fine,” Danny says. The cat has been relegated to the guest room, together with a litter box and plenty of food and water. Eddie had pouted for a while, giving them a look that said “I’m sorry I disappointed you, but it was a cat, what did you expect?” and then reverted to his easygoing self.

Steve slides into bed next to Danny, shuffling them around until he has Danny where he wants him. Danny goes willingly, tucking his face against Steve’s chest and winding his leg around Steve’s thigh.

“You’re just saying that because you don’t want to take the cat home,” Steve says, nuzzling against Danny and pressing kisses to the buzzed hair on the side of his head. It feels really good.

“That is approximately fifty percent of the reason I am saying that,” Danny says, dragging his lips lazily along Steve’s collarbone. “But I also think that the two of them will work out their disagreements and learn to get along.”

“I’m glad we learned to get along,” Steve says, his arms wrapping tighter around Danny. 

“Me too, babe,” Danny says, shifting to place a firm kiss on Steve’s lips. “Me too.”


	22. 9.22

Steve is still sitting with his arm around Noelani when he hears a familiar step coming down the hallway.

“Noelani, I heard. I’m so sorry.”

Noelani is up off the bench and wrapped in Danny’s arms before Steve can even say hi. Danny has that effect on people. His hugs are fantastic.

Danny holds her for a long moment, eyes closed as he puts his whole attention on his task. Steve doesn’t miss the way Noelani’s shoulders hitch. Danny rubs her back and whispers something in her ear. 

As Noelani begins to relax, Danny’s eyes open and he focuses on Steve. Steve must still be thinking too hard about Joe, because Danny clearly sees something in his expression that he’d rather he didn’t.

“You’re next,” Danny mouths at him, eyes full of concern, and Steve feels a wave of warmth. He can’t lie, a good cuddle from Danny sounds perfect. But not quite yet.

They walk Noelani out to her car. “Let us drive you home,” Danny suggests. “Or come back to ours for a while. Steve will even let you have the good scotch.”

Steve appreciates that Danny’s trying to lighten the mood, but it doesn’t work. In any case, Noelani declines their offer with a sad smile.

Danny offers Steve the keys to the Camaro but he just shakes his head and gets into the passenger seat. Danny gets them out onto the road and then gives Steve’s shoulder a squeeze. They drive back to Steve’s house in comfortable silence. Steve knows Danny’s giving him time to process, to regain his equilibrium. Danny can always tell what Steve needs.

When they get to Steve’s house, Steve pauses in the entryway, but Danny’s hand presses against the small of his back and guides him inside.

“Crappy day?”

“A lot worse for Noelani. Just brought back some memories.”

“That scotch sounding good?”

Steve snorts. “Yeah.”

Danny pours them each a generous shot and they clink glasses, then down the contents in a long swallow. The burn helps. Danny refills their glasses and they walk out to the lanai.

It’s a beautiful night, like so many other nights, but Steve is having trouble appreciating it.

“What happened to Noelani today… that shouldn’t have happened,” Danny says, giving Steve an opening. 

“No. It shouldn’t happen to anyone. And if I had-” he breaks off, unable to say the words. If Steve had been a little faster to pick up that Noelani was missing, the situation could have worked out a whole lot differently. 

“Stop kicking yourself, babe. I wasn’t even on the job today. Think how useless I feel.”

“It wasn’t your responsibility. Not today.”

“You figured it out fast enough to save her, Steve. From what Tani told me, they were minutes away from killing Noelani when you got there.”

“But I wasn’t in time to save Dr. Cho. Noelani thinks it’s her own fault, that she didn’t save her mentor, and now she’s going to have to live with that for the rest of her life.” Live with the memory of someone she cared about dying in her arms.

Steve presses his eyes closed, and feels Danny’s arms come around him, pulling his face to his shoulder. “This is about Joe, isn’t it,” Danny says gently. Danny always knows.

Steve nods, one hand gripping Danny’s shirt, the other still hanging on to his glass.

“Doesn’t make it any better that losing people is part of what we do, does it?” Danny murmurs. “Goes with the territory, someone told me after Grace died.”

Steve knows the death of Danny’s former partner still haunts him. How could it not? “Some kind of bullshit territory,” Steve says, his voice cracking a little.

“Yeah, god, it is,” Danny replies. He sucks in a long breath and pulls back. “What do you say we go to bed?”

Steve nods. “Good idea.” They down the rest of their drinks and leave the glasses on the sink. Steve is thinking about taking a quick shower to try to clear his mind, but Danny takes his hand and doesn't let go until they’re in the bedroom.

“Come on, clothes off,” Danny says, pushing at the hem of Steve’s shirt.

“You got something particular in mind?” Steve says, tugging his shirt off and starting on his belt.

“You, me, bed.” Danny sheds his own clothes deliberately, taking a few seconds to lay his dress shirt and pants on a chair. He tilts his head and looks up at Steve. “We need anything else?”

“Nope.” Steve lets Danny pull him down for a kiss, which quickly turns heated, Danny’s hands roaming over Steve’s naked back and down to his boxers.

“You forgot something,” Danny says, sliding his fingers into the waistline of his shorts and pulling them down.

“I know how much you like to have the last word,” Steve says.

Danny laughs into their kiss. “I’m not sure that makes any sense, but okay.” 

Steve wriggles a little and steps out of his clothes, then presses his hips towards Danny.

“Nah, big guy, come here.” Danny flops onto the bed, dragging Steve with him. They’re no denying that their height difference (and the way Danny’s knee usually bothers him by the end of the day) makes it much easier for them to mess around lying down, whether it be on the bed or the couch – or that one time on the rug in Steve’s office.

Steve straddles Danny, enjoying the flush spreading down Danny’s chest. He takes a moment to just look at him, to admire his broad shoulders, his gorgeous chest and amazing abs, all covered in a soft fuzz of hair.

“What?” Danny asks, his voice low.

“You’re beautiful.”

Danny’s flush darkens, and he squirms a little under Steve’s gaze. “Knock it off.”

“No, you are.”

“You’re a goof.”

Steve leans down for a kiss, and Danny wraps a hand around his head, holding him in position. They kiss almost lazily for a while, then Steve nips down along Danny’s chin, kissing down his neck, until Danny lets out a low moan.

“Like that?” Steve asks, pausing with his lips still tickling a spot under Danny’s ear.

“Fuck, you know I do,” Danny groans. He runs a hand along Steve’s side, then over Steve’s ass. “Come on,” Danny encourages, trying to pull Steve down on top of him, but Steve resists.

“What’s the rush?” He kisses down Danny’s chest, lingering over the scar where Danny was shot last year. One of these days he’s going to catalogue every scar and scratch on his partner’s body, but from the way Danny is twitching underneath him that’s not going to be tonight.

Suddenly Danny twists and flips them over, smiling triumphantly as he sits back on Steve’s thighs.

“Impatient much?” Steve asks, but he loves it, loves seeing Danny happy and flushed and grinning at him. It’s the best view on the island, by far.

He pulls Danny down and then they’re finally pressed together, hands everywhere, bodies damp with sweat and hips grinding restlessly, searching for just the right angle. Steve gets a hand down between them and starts to stroke Danny, and Danny’s doing the same to him, panting into Steve’s neck. It doesn’t take long before they’re both coming, messy and wet, tangled together like two high school kids going at it in the back of their parents’ car.

“Fuck, I love you, Steve,” Danny says. He’s collapsed on top of Steve, but he reaches up to run his clean hand through Steve’s hair. “You know that, right? I love you.”

Danny’s always generous with his words, including in bed. Steve wonders if he knows how much it means to him. “I do know it,” he says, putting a hand on Danny’s cheek and pulling him closer for a soft kiss. “I love you too, Danno.”

Danny retrieves the sheet from where it’s gotten shoved down at the bottom of the bed and covers them with it. Steve can tell Danny’s about to settle in to his regular spot, head on Steve’s chest, when something flashes across his face.

“I owe you a hug,” Danny says, and lies back, arms open and inviting. Steve feels a rush of affection so strong it would knock him over if he wasn’t already lying down. He slides over to Danny, letting Danny wraps his arms around him and hold him close.

Danny rubs his back, soothing and quiet, and Steve places his hand over Danny’s heart. Losing people may go with the territory, but he won’t let himself imagine losing Danny. Right now, Steve has everything he needs.


	23. 9.23

Steve pops a shrimp into his mouth and licks his fingers, frowning at the disgusted look Mary gives him.

“What? Kame brought them over, we’re supposed to eat them.”

Mary waves at the people assembled on the beach, Grace in her lovely prom dress, Will in his tux, Danny and Lou hovering nearby. “They’re supposed to eat them. And if you don’t slow down, there won’t be any left.”

“I’m hungry, what can I say.” Steve regrets not bringing his beer out onto the lanai. They want to keep this an alcohol-free event, at least until the kids leave, to avoid sending the wrong message. Not that any high-school kid on the planet is going to get through their prom night without some imbibing of forbidden alcohol, but at least they can start them off sober.

Now that he thinks of it, he’s probably wrong about what Grace has planned. Grace is more level-headed than most high schoolers, and she’s especially attuned to the dangers of drunk driving. Of course, neither of the kids will be driving tonight, that’s what the limo currently parked in Steve’s driveway is for.

Grace may be level-headed, but she’s still just a kid.

Will is making faces for the camera while Lou rolls his eyes and tries to get him to pose properly. Danny wanders up to grab a shrimp. He pops it into his mouth and then licks his fingers. Mary makes an odd choking sound.

“What?” Danny asks, reaching for another one.

“The two of you,” she mutters, shaking her head.

“What?” Danny asks Steve this time.

“She doesn’t approve of our manners,” Steve surmises, licking his finger again for good measure.

Danny tilts his head towards Mary, a glint in this eye. “This is Hawaii, Mary. Relax.”

Mary rolls her eyes. “Unbelievable.”

“Turnabout, fair play, you know the drill.” Danny smirks and eats another shrimp. 

Steve grins at them. It seems like forever ago that Mary and Danny met, and Mary gave Danny shit for his Haole ways. A lot has changed since then. Danny’s not even wearing a tie tonight, despite the picture-taking. He’s still in his work clothes, slim fitting striped dress shirt and dark slacks looking none the worse for wear even though he’s had them on all day long.

Danny steps closer to Steve and bumps his shoulder. “Thank again for suggesting we do the pictures here.”

Steve nods. “Of course.” 

“Danny, your turn,” Kamekona announces loudly. “Time to get the father of this lovely lady in the picture.”

Danny gives Steve a little smile and heads down to the beach, beaming at Grace and whispering something in her ear that makes her squirm.

The setting is unquestionably beautiful, certainly more appropriate for this celebration than Danny or Lou’s place. The sun is just starting to set, and the light has glorious warmth to it. It brings out the last hints of blond in Danny’s hair.

Not that Steve is staring at Danny, or anything. 

Kamekona poses Danny and Grace with their backs to the water, and then has them shift for a different angle. Danny takes the camera from him a few times and checks his work, and they bicker about the flash and a shadow that Kamekona seems to think Danny is imagining.

Steve’s just about to go into the house and find some napkins so Mary stops glaring at him, when Danny stops messing with the camera and catches Steve’s eye. “Come on, McGarrett, get down here.”

“What?” Steve says, but Danny can’t hear him, he’s spoken too quietly. He’s not even sure he’s spoken out loud, until Mary shoves him.

“Go on, your boy is calling you.”

He’s still not sure why. The obvious reason doesn’t make sense. Maybe Danny wants him to weigh in on whether Kamekona’s getting decent shots?

Feeling almost dazed, Steve walks towards the beach, the grass prickly under his bare feet.

“Come on, over here.” Danny is giving him a soft smile, and Steve lets himself be positioned on Grace’s other side, his arm brushing over Danny’s where they cross behind Grace’s back.

“Hands on her shoulders for this one, boys,” Kamekona says after he takes a few more. Kamekona fiddles with something, and Grace wobbles in her heels, unsteady in the sand. Steve leans into her a little more, and Danny does too, the three of them supporting each other. “Good, that’s good, just smile now, like you love each other.”

Steve doesn’t know what makes him look at Danny in that moment, when he’s supposed to be looking at the camera. But when he does, Danny is looking at him too, and the expression on his face makes Steve’s stomach do somersaults.

“That’s easy, Kamekona,” Danny says, his smile broadening as he gazes at Steve, and then down at Grace. “Plenty of love right here.”

“All right, all right, send it over this way.” The camera clicks some more, and then Danny moves to check the photos, leaving Steve standing with Grace still leaning comfortably against his side. But it’s just a moment before Danny gives his approval and then he’s tugging Steve out of the way, Kamekona calling for a last few pictures of Grace and Will in the setting sun.

“You okay?” Danny asks, nudging him into the shade of a tree. 

“Yeah,” Steve says, his stomach finally settling, as Danny leans his shoulder against his arm. “A little surprised, but good.”

Danny shifts from one foot to the other before he speaks. “The other day I pretty much told Tani to go for it with Junior.”

That isn’t what Steve was expecting to hear, but he figures Danny will fill him in on the connection soon enough. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I told her that at my age, you know… you just figure out who the people are that you care about. I told her I could count on one hand the people in this world that really mean something to me.”

Steve looks down, at the side of Danny’s head, and rubs the back of his neck. “Oh?” he says again, knowing he sounds like an idiot.

“Yeah,” Danny says, still looking at Will and Grace, who are now re-enacting putting the corsage on Grace’s wrist so they can get sunset pictures of this scene too. Lou is insisting that the limo is on the clock and it’s time to leave, and Will and Grace share a pointed look before dissolving into giggles.

Steve feels Danny takes his hand in his, and wind their fingers together. Their hands are hidden by their bodies, and no one’s watching them, but Steve’s heart leaps in his chest regardless.

He told Mary that he wasn’t in the fight, that he wasn’t having a go at dating. Because he’s not really dating Danny, and this thing with Danny isn’t a fight, although it’s one of the hardest things he’s ever had to navigate. And he’s definitely not just having a go at this. He’s in it, far over his head, and he doesn’t want it any other way.

Steve risks a glance up to the lanai, and sees Mary looking back at him, an oddly proud look on her face. Steve also told Mary that if you find someone who’s really good for you, it’s all worth it. He gives Danny’s hand a squeeze, and wonders if it’s time to come clean.


	24. 9.24

Danny feels his phone vibrate under his pillow. He tugs it out and squints his eyes open. 

_U awake?_

It’s the middle of the night. Danny hadn’t meant to fall asleep, had wanted to stay up until Steve got there. He’s been following the team’s work on the Aaron Wright case all day, sneaking glances at his phone in between Charlie’s doctor visits to distract himself. 

If it had been a routine day off Danny would have joined the team as soon as the case took a turn south, but it wasn’t a routine day off. It’s easy to forget how sick Charlie was just a few years ago. But Danny can’t forget crying himself to sleep thinking that the son he found out was his had a disease which some studies said had a three year survival rate of less than twenty-five percent. Thankfully the bone marrow transplant had made all the difference, and Charlie has been in remission for years. Only the full workups from his doctors every six months remind them of how serious Charlie’s condition is.

So Danny had to be there today – wanted to be there – to play with Charlie in the waiting room in between appointments, to hold his hand when he bravely faced yet another icky needle, to give him a giant hug and spin him around when they were finally finished with all the tests and could go out for shave ice.

Tonight Danny can rest easy - Charlie got another clean bill of health, and went home with his mom for a night of celebratory Disney movies and popcorn. Charlie can go back to being a happy, energetic kid, and Danny can take all his worries about this particular issue and shove them down deep for another six months. 

Besides, he’s got plenty of other things to worry about, like his crazy boyfriend’s plans that almost got Tani and Junior killed today, at least the way that Tani tells it. Danny would be more concerned if she hadn’t sounded so impressed at how well the plan worked – at least until Wright shot Flores.

Danny sighs. After a day like today, Steve’s going to be in a state. Hence the phone under his pillow. He quickly types out a response. _I’m awake. Come over._

_On my way._

Fifteen minutes later, Danny’s answering the door. Steve comes in, blinking widely, and then pulls Danny into a hug that lasts and lasts.

“Guess this means Wright’s still on the loose?” Danny asks.

Steve nods into Danny’s shoulder. “Everybody’s looking for him. Whole island’s on alert. But I gotta get some sleep, can’t see straight any longer.”

“I know, babe, I know.” Danny reaches past Steve and closes the door, noting with approval Junior driving away. Steve has learned how pissed off Danny gets at him when he drives in this condition. 

Danny tries not to wonder, however, what excuse Steve gave Junior for dropping him at Danny’s house. They’re getting close to telling them team about their relationship, he thinks. But that’s not a conversation for tonight.

“Let’s get you into bed,” Danny says, steering Steve down the hall. Steve sheds his clothes as he goes, Danny trailing behind, kicking Steve’s shoes off to the side and picking up his shirt. “Animal,” he mutters, reaching out to grab Steve’s arm and steady him as he shakes off his pants.

“You love me,” Steve says, shooting Danny an amused look over his shoulder.

“I do.”

Steve slides into bed and wriggles around. “Mmm, the blankets are still warm. Get in here.” 

Danny obliges, settling himself easily in Steve’s arms, his head on Steve’s chest. Steve is so sleepy all the tension has left his body, and he’s cuddling close to Danny, one hand practically petting the back of his head.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you today,” Steve says into Danny’s hair. 

It takes Danny a moment to realize what Steve is referring to. “Oh, no, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” Steve has stopped petting Danny, and is gazing at him seriously. “I know how scary those six month visits are, for you and Rachel. I was thinking about it all day. I should have been there too.”

“Steve…” Danny swallows hard, raises up on an elbow and looks at Steve. “You mean it.” It’s not really a question.

“Of course I do.”

Danny feels a surge of emotion and buries his face in Steve’s chest. Steve just wraps his arms around him and holds him tight.

“I was supposed to be comforting you tonight,” Danny mumbles. 

Steve snorts. “Beat you to it.”

“It’s always a competition with you.”

Steve shifts and slides down until he’s face to face with Danny. “We could always comfort each other,” he says, raising an eyebrow and sliding his hand down until his fingers are teasing at the waistband of Danny’s boxers.

“I thought you were too tired to see straight?” Danny asks. He leans in for a kiss with plenty of tongue, confirming that he’s definitely on board. 

“Pretty sure I’m not seeing anything straight around here.”

Danny wants to chastise Steve for the awful pun, but he’s pretty sure it’s bad form to scold someone when they’ve got their hand around your cock. Danny takes a moment to enjoy the tease, and then goes for Steve’s boxers. They break apart long enough to get naked, twisting and turning, hands everywhere.

Steve reaches for him again, and Danny shakes his head. “Nope, lie down.” Steve grins and lays back, arms crossed behind his head, showing off in all his glory. Danny gives him a vigorous kiss on the lips, rubbing his cheek against Steve’s scruff, before starting to work his way down his body. He’s been thinking about giving Steve a blow job since Steve woke him up with his text, and even if Steve isn’t quite as needy as Danny had thought he might be, he figures his original plan still has merit.

Steve clearly agrees. “Fuck, Danny, your mouth…” He gets his hand around the bottom of Steve’s cock and sucks as much of the rest of it into his mouth as he can, relaxing his throat and working with his tongue until Steve is nearly incoherent. “Danny, yes, please, keep on… yes… god…”

Somehow Steve is also managing to give Danny’s ass some rather pointed squeezes, his fingers working into his crack and pressing just right, and Danny’s mind veers off in an unexpected direction. It’s something he’s thought about, and suddenly he can’t think of anything else.

He pulls off of Steve with a slurp, and Steve blinks up at him. “Fuck, that’s good,” Steve says, curving up towards Danny, remarkable abs on full display. “Everything okay?” Steve’s kissing Danny’s neck, one hand still massaging Danny’s ass, and Danny takes a moment to revel in it.

“Yeah, just, um, had an idea.”

“Do tell.”

Danny sits back a little, leaning into Steve’s hand, and catches Steve’s eye. “How tired are you?”

Steve grins. Danny doesn’t have much of a poker face in bed, and apparently his tone is giving something away that has Steve intrigued. “What did you have in mind?”

“I wanna ride you.”

The look that comes over Steve is frighteningly close to his “oh goody the Governor gave us new guns” face but Danny doesn’t have much time to contemplate this.

“Sir, yes sir,” Steve says, grabbing Danny with both hands and manhandling him into position. He’s got lube on his fingers before Danny even has a chance to look for it, and Danny braces himself with one hand on the headboard and the other on Steve’s flexing pecs as Steve starts to work a finger into his ass, first circling his hole and then, bit by bit, pressing in.

It feels so good, the movement inside him, rubbing against that tight muscle at his opening and then deeper still. Danny squirms as Steve switches to two fingers, and then jolts a little as he feels Steve’s hand on his cock.

“That feel okay?” Steve asks.

Danny realizes that he’s got his eyes closed, and he opens them to find Steve looking a little concerned.

“It feels great, babe. Amazing.”

Steve smirks and tugs a little harder, causing Danny to moan. It’s a bit dry, but he likes it this way, especially given that Steve is now working a third finger into his ass.

“Should you, um,” Steve trails off, slowing his hand on Danny’s cock.

“Huh?”

Steve’s fingers press against his prostate, and Danny jerks again. Steve suddenly stops moving, and Danny immediately feels the loss.

“Should you come before or after?”

Danny leans down, panting into Steve’s neck. “Don’t know.”

Steve laughs softly, letting go of Danny’s cock and stroking down over Danny’s back and sides. “I think maybe not before.” He twists his fingers inside Danny and soothes him as he moans and clutches at Steve’s shoulders. Steve works him for a few more minutes, stretching and pushing until Danny feels like he’s just about to fall apart. “You ready, Danno?”

Danny’s so lost in the sensations running through him that he almost forgot what was coming next, but it doesn’t take long to remember. He draws in a deep breath and sits up, pushing down hard on Steve’s fingers, and then lifting off. “Yeah, babe, I’m ready.”

Steve grabs the lube and coats himself generously, then rubs some more up around Danny’s ass and pokes a finger inside for good measure. They haven’t done this very often in any position, and Steve is always careful with Danny, even when they’re laughing and screwing around like idiots. It’s endearing as hell.

“All right, all right, come on,” Danny says, pushing Steve’s hand away and kneeing up to position himself right over Steve’s cock. He takes a deep breath and feels the head pressing at his entrance, Steve holding himself steady, and then starts to lower himself.

Steve’s taking deep breaths, watching Danny with wide eyes that dart up and down from his face to where Steve is slowly entering him. He’s got one hand on Danny’s waist to steady him as he moves.

The pressure grows, and it’s almost too much. Danny pauses, feels Steve breathe underneath him, and then forces himself to relax. After a long moment he keeps going, raising up a little and then down some more, until he’s there all the way, sitting firmly on Steve with his cock up his ass.

“You look rather proud of yourself,” Steve says, wriggling under Danny and making him yelp. “Come on, let’s get this show on the road.” Steve thrusts up again, and Danny laughs, shifting his butt and biting his lip as the movement hits all the right places inside him.

Steve gets both hands on Danny’s waist, and Danny moves up a little, letting Steve have some space to get his own hips into the game. They get a rhythm going, and it’s fantastic, sensation thrumming through Danny’s entire body. He’s got the freedom to experiment with different angles, feel the pressure everywhere, while Steve’s hands roam over his skin, soothing and teasing in equal measure.

At one point he leans back, and Steve gets a hand around his cock. He’s only about half hard now, but Steve’s doing his best to coax him back to fullness. He’s not sure it’s going to work, and is just about to say something, when Steve pauses and surges up to pull him into a hug.

Seconds later he’s lying on his back, and Steve is grinning broadly above him. “You’re getting tired,” Steve says. “Let me finish us up.”

Danny nods in agreement, sighing with anticipation as he lays back and Steve takes over. He’s managed to get some more lube into the game, and it feels great on Danny’s cock, which is responding admirably to Steve’s attentions. Steve has his other hand working Danny’s nipple, tweaking and twisting just the way Danny likes it. Danny’s so absorbed in pleasure from all directions that he’s taken by surprise when his orgasm rushes up on him, followed soon after by Steve groaning and coming too, hot and wet in Danny’s ass.

“Holy fuck, that felt good,” Danny says, rolling with Steve as he pulls out of Danny and flops backwards on the bed.

“Kinda messy, sorry,” Steve says, curling back towards Danny.

“You’re not sorry,” Danny retorts, as Steve’s fingers find his softening cock, gentle with him now, still wanting to touch. Steve doesn’t ever seem to care about the mess, getting his fingers sticky with come on purpose more often than not.

“Nah, you’re right.” They lie there quietly for a few peaceful minutes, catching their breath and cooling down. Then Steve slides out of bed, graceful even after everything. Danny hears the water running in the bathroom, and then Steve returns with a warm washcloth and cleans him off as best he can.

They shove the sheets around, and Danny winces. His ass is going to remind him of this in the morning, which is unfortunately just a few hours away.

“You feeling all right?” Steve asks, his hand finding Danny’s cheek and turning his face towards him. “I didn’t hurt you?”

“Babe, I’m fantastic.”

Steve smiles, almost shyly. “Yup, you are.” He wraps the sheet around them both and pulls Danny against him. “We better try to get some sleep.”

The memory of the day comes back to him – anxiously waiting with Charlie at the hospital and trying not to let him see his concern, texting with the team as the Aaron Wright case went south, knowing there’s more to come on that front as soon as they get back to work – and Danny can feel his shoulders tense.

“Hey, none of that,” Steve says, kissing him softly. “Rest now. Everything’s okay.”

Danny lets out a long breath, and tucks his face against Steve’s sweaty skin. It’s true – right now, here with Steve’s arms wrapped around him, everything is okay. It’s more than okay. And tomorrow they’ll deal with whatever comes, together, just like always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end of the journey. I hope you've enjoyed it so far! And don't worry, whatever happens in the next ep, I'll be here for you <3


	25. 9.25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go... a fix-it for 9.25. It's a little long, but hopefully it does justice to the end of the season!

Danny paces back and forth in the waiting room, feeling like he can barely catch his breath. Steve had been whisked away to surgery hours ago, and Danny still hasn’t been able to talk to him. He still doesn’t know for sure if he’ll ever be able to talk to him again. When Steve was shot he went down so hard, and there was so much blood… Danny doesn’t want there to be a limit to how many times Steve can defy death, but even cats only have nine lives.

“Coffee?” Tani appears in front of him, holding a steaming paper cup. She and Junior showed up at the hospital just a little while ago, both of them looking almost as wrecked as he feels. 

Danny isn’t interested in coffee, though. Doesn’t think he could hold the cup without spilling it. Caffeine isn’t going to help Danny now. Nothing is, except Steve waking up and giving him a chance to explain himself. 

Danny Williams has fucked up many times in his life. He is sadly familiar with the cold sweats, the wave of shame, the urge to hide under a rock and never come out. But this time he’s outdone himself. 

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” 

Danny blinks, realizing that he’s sitting on the floor, Tani crouching down next to him. She puts a hand on his shoulder, barely flinching at the blood stains on his shirt. Steve’s blood.

“I don’t think it is,” Danny chokes out, hardly able to bear the kind look in Tani’s eyes. He sinks his forehead to his knees and covers his head with his arms. 

“Come on, you said it yourself.” Tani gives his shoulder a squeeze. “This is what they do. And they always make it out the other side.”

“You don’t understand.”

“So fill me in. We’ve got time.” Tani shifts, settling herself next to Danny on the floor. “Take a few deep breaths, okay, and then tell me what happened.”

Danny breathes into the space between his knees, feeling his heart continue to pound a broken rhythm against his chest. It reminds him of how he felt when that building collapsed on top of him, years ago. Except that time Steve was with him, holding his hand. Making sure he made it out the other side. 

Now he’s in a crowded hospital waiting room, surrounded by all of Five-0 except the person that matters most to him. 

“You don’t wanna hear this.”

“Try me.”

Danny sighs. He pretty much feels like he’s going to fall apart anyway, telling Tani can’t possibly make it worse. “Just before Omar Hassan’s wife came in, I told Steve I lied to him about last week. Told him I wasn’t in New Jersey, that I was with Rachel on Kauai instead.”

Danny hears Tani suck in a breath, but before she can launch into him, Lou responds incredulously.

“That’s bullshit. I know you were in Jersey. You’ve been talking nonstop about that Mets game you went to with your sister. Even posted dumb pictures on Facebook.”

“I know,” Danny says.

“Wait, I’m confused,” Jerry says, pulling a chair over with a squeak. “Were you in Jersey or not?”

“I was, of course I was,” Danny says. “Helping my folks move into a smaller place, just like I said. I was just screwing with Steve, like I always do. He does the same – hell, in the car earlier, he was giving me shit about that NSA woman he flirted with a few months ago. And he’s always bringing up Catherine. It’s what we do.”

“You told him you spent a week on Kauai with Rachel, but you were just screwing with him?” Lou asks, still obviously not convinced that Danny hasn’t lost his mind.

“Not my best moment,” Danny confirms. “But we weren’t done talking – we were in the middle of the conversation. I could barely keep a straight face as it was, the joke would have been over in another ten seconds. Azra Hassan interrupted me – if she hadn’t come in, this never would have happened.”

He lifts his head and looks up at his team, who stare back at him with various degrees of disapproval. 

“Man, you really stepped in it this time,” Lou finally says, and Danny nods.

“Yeah, I did.”

Another hour goes by. Adam convinces Danny to get up off the floor, and they walk down the hall to the vending machine together. There’s something different about Adam lately, something hopeful, and Danny’s glad for him.

Back in the waiting room, Tani pats a plastic chair next to her and he sits down between her and Lou. He offers Tani some of the candy bar Adam bought him.

“Thanks,” Tani says, holding his hand steady while she takes a bite. “You know,” she says, wiping a crumb off her mouth, “you really are kind of a dumbass.”

Danny huffs out a bitter laugh. “I’ve been told that before.”

“Steve’s gonna be fine,” she says. “And you guys are gonna be fine. What you’ve got together is too good for this to throw it off course.”

Danny stares at her then, and something must show in his face, because Tani gives him a soft smile he’s never seen before. 

“Fuck,” Danny says. “Did… did I just out us… Steve… to the entire team?”

“We knew, Danny,” Tani says gently. “We’ve known for a long time.”

“Definitely,” Lou says. “That day taking prom pictures? Come on.”

“My housewarming party,” Adam says, “that’s when I knew for sure.”

Junior shakes his head. “I think it was even earlier. Steve stays over your house all the time, it’s not exactly a secret.”

“I knew something was up last fall.” Tani says. “When Danny was away, and Steve brought in that giant box of coco puffs from Liliha’s, ‘cause he didn’t realize Danny was gone, and then he was so upset when he found out he moped like a middle school kid all week.” 

“No, that was before Joe White was killed, wasn’t it? Didn’t seem like you were together then,” Adam says.

“Oh, yeah, it did,” Junior insists. “You weren’t there when Danny showed up, but I was. You should have seen the way-”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Danny says, standing up, his face hot with embarrassment. His team’s casual recital of everything he and Steve have been through for the past year isn’t making him feel any better, it’s just pointing out how much he has to lose.

“Excuse me, Five-0?” It’s a little ridiculous how well all the hospital staff know them. “I have an update on Commander McGarrett?” 

They all turn, and Danny holds his breath as he waits for the doctor to continue.

“How is he, doc?” Lou asks.

“He’s going to be fine,” the doctor says, and Danny feels a surge of relief so strong it almost knocks him over. “He lost a lot of blood, and we were worried that he hit his head pretty hard on the way down, but the bullet missed all major organs.”

“Can I see him?” Danny pushes forward, but the doctor steps back and holds out a hand. 

“We’re moving him to a room, and then one of you can come in.”

Danny nods, but the doctor continues, looking at Danny apologetically. “He asked to see Captain Grover. I’m sorry, Lieutenant.” 

“That’s okay, Danny can go-”

“I’m afraid that’s not what I meant,” the doctor says. He waits for Lou to acknowledge this. “Someone will be back to let you know when he’s ready.”

Danny sags against the wall. “He doesn’t want to see me. He’s barely out of surgery, and the first thing he remembers is that I lied to him.”

“But you didn’t,” Tani insists.

“He thinks I did. He almost died, and he thinks I betrayed him.”

*****  
Lou only spends a few minutes with Steve before the nurse kicks him out. He fills the team in on Steve’s medical situation (he’s going to be stuck in the hospital for at least a few days, but he’ll make a full recovery) and tells them all to go home. 

Lou stays behind, clearly anticipating that Danny wants to know more than he’s told the rest of the team.

“What did he say? Why can’t I see him?”

Lou leans against the back of a chair, looking uncomfortable. “I told him you were here, and that you were worried. But I didn’t plead your case for you. You’re going to have to do that yourself.”

“What the hell?” Danny snaps, anger getting the best of him. “You didn’t tell him anything? That I wasn’t with Rachel?”

“Actually, I tried. Against my better judgment. But he wouldn’t listen, just waved his hand in my face and said he wanted to sleep. And then the nurse kicked me out.”

“This is not fair,” Danny says, looking around for someone else to complain to. “Why – why won’t he listen? Why won’t he let me talk to him?”

“Give him some time, Danny,” Lou says. “He’s had a rough day.”

“A rough day,” Danny says, his throat catching. “Yeah, that about sums it up. Fuck.”

Lou eventually goes home to shower and get some sleep, but Danny stays in the waiting room. Jerry returns to sit with him for a while, and tries to cajole the nurses into letting him see Steve – he promises to put in a good word for Danny - but apparently they want him to have “uninterrupted rest.” Danny has the feeling this is actually at Steve’s request, to avoid having to deal with Danny, but there’s not much he can do about it.

Later Tani and Junior come by, and Junior’s brought him a t-shirt and jeans. His own.

“How’d you get these?”

Junior rubs his face. “I knew you’d ask that.”

“The ‘Danny drawer,’ where else,” Tani says, smirking.

“At Steve’s place?”

“Well, my first thought was to get clothes from your house – we could use the key that Steve keeps in that bowl by the front door? But Junes knew where to find your stuff at Steve’s, so that saved us a stop.”

“How did you know I had clothes there?”

“Junes does Steve’s laundry when he’s feeling particularly dutiful - didn’t Steve tell you?”

Danny sighs. Clearly he’s not the detective he used to be. Junior is a lot more observant than Danny has given him credit for, and Tani, well, Tani’s a force to be reckoned with.

“It’s cool,” Junior says, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I don’t mind doing laundry. I like the routine.”

Danny tries not to imagine Junior folding his boxers. “I can’t believe this.”

He does feel better when he’s changed into clean clothes. There’s nothing like wearing a shirt with your partner’s blood on it to bring down your mood. The t-shirt Junior brought is one of his favorite black ones, and it’s soft on his skin. He keeps it at Steve’s on purpose. Steve likes him in it. And out of it.

When Noelani comes to check on Steve (and Danny) later that day, after her shift, Danny gets an idea.

“Can I borrow your jacket?” Sometimes being a relatively small guy comes in handy. 

With Noelani’s white coat on and a confident stride, Danny passes for a doctor long enough to sneak into Steve’s room.

Steve is lying on his side, facing away from the door. He turns as Danny enters the room, and Danny’s heart skips a beat. Steve’s got a bandage on his head, and a bruise running down the side of his face. But the worst part is the defeated look in his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Steve says, his voice scratchy.

“Steve, for god’s sake, I’ve been dying to see you.” Danny rushes over, reaching for Steve. He completely forgets about anything except getting him in his arms.

But Steve flinches, and Danny freezes, then pulls his hands back to his sides. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“Go away, Danny.”

“Steve, you have to let me explain. I wasn’t with her, I was just kidding around, I would never-”

“Nurse! Security! Help!” Steve yells, and Danny is hustled out of the room before he can continue. The bastard, he thinks. He’s just being childish. And he’s managed to get Danny thrown out of the hospital for the remainder of Steve’s stay.

With no other options left, Danny goes home. 

A few days later, Steve gets released. He’s not supposed to go back to work yet, but he’s recovered enough to go home. Danny and Junior drive to the hospital in Steve’s truck, Tani following behind.

“You sure you want to do this?” Junior asks.

“I’m sure.” 

Junior goes inside and comes back out with Steve a few minutes later, while Danny waits in the car with Tani, slouched down and out of sight. After Junior gets Steve settled into the passenger seat of the truck, he and Danny switch spots.

Steve glares at Danny as Danny starts up the truck. “Fuck off.”

“No.”

And that’s it, for almost the entire drive back to Steve’s place. Danny has spent the past few days swinging back and forth between despair and fury, and right now, Steve’s refusal to talk to him is pushing all his fury buttons. But he knows the mess between them is his fault, and he’s not going to let Steve ruin this. Not if he can help it.

So he sits there next to Steve, and drives his car, and brings him home. Because that’s what partners do. And that’s what _partners_ do, even if they’re mad at each other.

As they approach Steve’s house, Danny bites his lip, takes a breath, and speaks. “I love you, you know.”

Steve doesn’t answer. 

When they pull into the driveway, Steve jumps out before they come to a full stop. He’s inside his house with the door slamming shut behind him before Danny turns off the truck. As he watches Steve sprint up the walkway, he can’t help but be impressed – Steve’s physical injuries sure aren’t slowing him down.

Over the next few days, Steve keeps up the silent treatment. He doesn’t return Danny’s calls. Grace informs Danny that Steve is answering her texts, but only if she talks about things other than Danny. Tani tries to get Steve to talk to him, but when it doesn’t result in any progress, she just shrugs. “Boys are dumb,” she announces, taking the last malasada out of the box Danny brought in for the team. “I can only do so much.”

A week after Steve was shot, Danny decides he needs to try another approach. He does a little research, and makes a call.

 

*****  
The cove is beautiful. There are palm trees lining a gentle curve of beach, and one of the smaller Hawaiian islands is off the coast in the distance. Danny fidgets as he waits. He’s dressed the part, he hopes, with a white on white Aloha shirt and khaki slacks. He’s even wearing flip-flops, the kind Steve thinks are dressy, with braided leather straps.

He hears Frank and Steve talking before he sees them. Frank is excited about his new project, and had jumped at the chance to show it off to Steve – and try to help Danny out, too. “Happy to help, sunshine,” Frank had said over the phone, and then explained how Danny could pay him back in beer.

“The arch will go over here, with the chairs behind it, facing out to the ocean,” Frank says, his voice getting louder as they approach. “I’ll build a hut, too, for the reception, all open air. And open bar.”

They come around the bend, Frank still talking, Steve looking around obligingly. When Steve sees Danny, his eyes widen, and he comes to an abrupt stop.

Frank looks at the two of them, pats Steve on the shoulder, and leaves, going back the way they came.

“Danny,” Steve says, staring him down. “What’s going on?”

Danny swallows hard, and walks over to Steve. At least he isn’t running away, Danny thinks. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“You couldn’t have done that somewhere else?”

“I wanted to talk to you here,” Danny says. He waves his hand at the clearing, which will someday host happy couples on their special day. “I always imagined we’d end up at a place like this. Eventually. If things worked out.”

Steve lifts his chin, looks away. “Yeah, too bad that’s off the table.”

Steve’s reaction stings, but Danny knows him. It’s not over yet, and Danny has hardly gotten started.

“Steve, please. Stop being so stubborn and just listen to me for a minute.”

Steve frowns, but after a long moment, he turns back to Danny. “I’m listening.”

Here goes, Danny thinks. He rehearsed what he wanted to say a dozen times, but he’s still not sure he’s going to get it all out.

“I’m a changed man,” he starts, and he sees Steve’s eyes flit over his outfit. _Not just my clothing, you dope,_ he wants to say, but refrains. “I’m a changed man, a better man, since I met you. Not just since I met you, but… because you love me. Because I love you.”

Steve’s face softens for a moment, but then his jaw clenches again. Danny can tell he’s about to lose him, and he rushes to get to the point.

“I’ve gotten more positive, even if not everyone sees it. I’ve opened myself up to the possibility of good things in my life. Good things happening with you, in particular. But no matter what I thought before, I realize now, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t change enough.”

This gets Steve’s attention, and his eyes finally meet Danny’s.

“I crossed a line, last week,” Danny continues, his eyes starting to tear up. “I went too far. And I’m sorry.”

Steve steps back, still holding Danny’s gaze. “Danny, you really hurt me.”

“I know, babe.” It slips out, Danny can’t help it, and he moves forward and grabs Steve’s arms, hands squeezing his biceps tight. “I know, I’m so sorry. I screwed up. I’m so sorry.”

“I believed you.” Steve’s voice is small, barely audible over the sound of the breeze in the palms. “I didn’t want to, I knew it didn’t make sense, but for a few seconds there, I believed that you went away with Rachel. That you lied to me, and cheated on me, and…” Steve ducks his head down, but he doesn’t pull away. “It really hurt.”

Danny doesn’t doubt it, he can feel the ache in Steve’s chest just like the one in his own. “I shouldn’t have joked about that,” Danny says, inching closer to Steve and sliding his hands up to his shoulders, pressing his collarbone with his thumbs. “We kid around about almost everything, but I knew how you worried about me and Rachel. I should have known it wouldn’t be a joke to you. I went too far. I’m sorry.”

Steve looks at Danny, and his eyes are wet. “I got shot. And you weren’t there.”

Danny tilts his head, confused. “I was there, I was _right_ there. Lou tackled Azra, Adam grabbed the kid, and I was next to you in seconds. I used the hem of my shirt to put pressure on your wound, I had your head in my lap-” Danny’s voice breaks. He can taste how terrified he was, when Steve didn’t respond. He shudders, remembering all too clearly.

“But you were with Rachel. In my mind. And… that’s what I thought, at the hospital, when I woke up.”

“Is that why you wouldn’t let me come see you?” It’s exactly what Danny feared – that given the drugs and the shock, all Steve would remember would be their last conversation.

“At first. And then,” Steve pauses, his tone shifting to something like embarrassment, “I was just pissed.”

And hurt, Danny fills in. Really fucking hurt.

“I’m so sorry,” Danny says again. He’ll say it as many times as it takes.

Steve sniffles, and then his arms are around Danny, pulling him close. “I don’t like fighting with you.”

“I don’t like fighting with you either,” Danny chokes out, digging his face into Steve’s neck. He rubs his nose against Steve’s sweaty throat, feeling his stubble scratch over his skin. “Please say we won’t fight anymore.”

Steve makes a sound that’s somewhere between a laugh and a cry. “I don’t think I can make that promise.”

Danny laughs with him, snorting wetly into Steve’s shirt, and clutching him tight. He feels lightheaded, almost giddy. They’re going to be okay. They’re really going to be okay.

“Making me come out here with Frank was a dirty trick, you know,” Steve says, his hand sliding up into Danny’s hair. “The whole time, I kept picturing you and me getting hitched on the beach, Gracie at your side, Mary at mine, Joanie and Charlie with flowers and rings.”

“Really?” The image had of course occurred to Danny too, he’s already admitted it, but he hadn’t begun to hope that Steve was on the same page. 

“Really.”

“That’s, um, that’s good. That’s very good.” Freakin’ understatement of the year, it’s so good.

Steve laughs, more relaxed now, and he pulls back to find Danny’s eyes. “Figured you’d think so.” He looks Danny up and down. “Nice outfit. Coincidence?”

“Yeah, this vintage Aloha wedding shirt was just lying there at the top of my clean laundry basket, total luck of the draw.” Danny raises an eyebrow. “Hey, by the way, could you maybe have mentioned that Junior does your laundry?”

Steve squints at him, and then apparently puts two and two together. “Guess that might have given us away?”

“Depends, I suppose, on whether he was fooled into thinking that you had secretly taken to wearing striped dress shirts in my size.”

“And black t-shirts.”

“That’s not completely beyond the realm of possibility,” Danny muses. “You look hot in black.”

“So do you,” Steve says, and then, unexpectedly, blushes. “I like you in white, too.” Steve leans in and kisses Danny, his mouth soft and gentle, and Danny melts against him.

“Oh, babe, thank god,” Danny whispers against Steve’s lips, and Steve hums in agreement before ducking down to kiss him again, another gentle press, and another, until Danny is practically shaking with the force of his tenderness.

“I don’t want to lose you, Danny,” Steve murmurs, kissing Danny’s cheek and down his jaw. “Don’t even tease about it, okay? Anything else is fair game, but not that.”

“Okay, yes, absolutely. Lesson learned. I’m so fucking sorry-”

Steve cuts him off with a kiss that is significantly more heated, his tongue darting inside Danny’s mouth, pressing hard enough that their teeth clack together, then stopping for his own apology. “I’m sorry too. I was kind of an ass about it. Should have let you talk.”

Danny laughs against Steve’s lips as Steve takes his mouth again. Steve isn’t letting him talk now either, but he’s got no problem with it. There is one thing he needs to say, though, and even Steve’s blisteringly hot making out skills aren’t going to stop him.

“Steve?”

“Hm?” Steve blinks at Danny, pupils blown and eyes wide. “Yeah?”

“I love you a ridiculous amount, okay? And I’m yours. Just yours. For as long as you want me.”

Steve beams and practically bounces on his toes. “Yeah? How about forever?”

Danny’s heart leaps, and he can feel his own radiant smile stretching his face. “Sounds good. Very good. Forever sounds good to me.”

Steve grins and starts kissing him again, nipping at Danny’s lips and sucking at that spot on his neck that makes Danny moan, one hand firm against Danny’s back and the other tangling in his hair. Danny loses himself in it, gives himself over to Steve, clutching at his shoulders and murmuring encouragement.

Steve’s hand has moved to the front of Danny’s pants and Danny thinks there’s a decent chance he’s about to get his very first beachfront blowjob when they hear Frank clearing his throat, explaining in an amused tone that he needs to get back, but if they want to stay longer, they can probably catch an Uber. Steve and Danny jump apart, Steve looking charmingly disheveled and Danny feeling like a kid almost literally caught with his pants down. 

Danny’s first instinct is to pretend that nothing much was going on, but Steve grabs his hand and beams at him. There’s a glint in his eye that Danny is all too familiar with, and before he can say anything Steve drags him tight against him, attacking his mouth in a searingly hot kiss - right in front of Frank, who lets out a delighted laugh. Danny gets the feeling that now that the news is out, this won’t be the first time Steve gets a little possessive in front of their friends. The wonderful thing is, nothing could make Danny happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo hoo! This is technically the end of this episode coda journey. I might, however, make this a series and write another story, because along the way I came up with another alternative ending to Season 9...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this - I know I did, and I especially love talking with you all about this infuriating and delightful show. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments, they mean the world to me. ::hugs::


	26. Something Blue - Alternate Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Catherine get married on a typically beautiful day, filled with all the joy such an occasion should bring. Danny doesn’t feel at all joyful about it, however. He feels miserable. The fact that Danny agreed to this doesn’t make it any easier.
> 
> _Note: Towards the end of season 9 I spent a lot of time thinking about how I might fix or otherwise explain whatever craziness canon was going to give us in the last episode. This story came about as an explanation for a possible Steve and Cath wedding._
> 
> _It's an alternate ending to Bound To Be Together, but can also be read as a stand-alone story. Warning for angst and handwringing, but all in the service of a happy ending._

The Kahala resort is undeniably beautiful. Danny enjoyed it a lot more, however, back when he was watching Grace swim with the dolphins. Standing up as Steve’s best man as Steve marries Catherine really isn’t any fun at all.

After the ceremony, Danny wanders off to the side, champagne glass in hand. The happy couple has chosen to bypass many of the classic wedding traditions, so fortunately Danny doesn’t have to give a formal toast, or sit through a first dance, or really do anything at all except stand around and keep a smile pasted on his face.

Danny declines a glass of champagne from a festively dressed server. He feels vaguely ill, overheated in his rented tux. Adding alcohol to the mix doesn’t seem like a good idea. Even the smell of the passed hors d'oeuvres is making him queasy. 

He chats mindlessly with a guest who comes by and gushes about how beautiful the bride is, and how she had no idea Steve was even engaged. Danny doesn’t know her name – someone who works with Noelani, he thinks – but he can’t get up the energy to care. Eventually the guest moves away, and Danny risks a quick glance at his watch.

“Thinking of leaving already, boss?” Tani asks softly, coming to stand next to him. She looks lovely in her gown, a dark green which contrasts beautifully with her hair. “You okay?”

Danny struggles to focus on her words, and find some kind of appropriately convincing response, but he doesn’t come up with much. “Sure, I’m fine.”

Tani tilts her head at him. No point in feigning cheer with her, her bullshit meter is way too fine-tuned for that.

“I did not see this coming.” Tani slides in front of him, narrowing her eyes. “I’m guessing you didn’t either?”

Danny looks away. “Steve was gonna ask her to marry him, a few years ago. She told him later she would have said yes.” He shrugs. “Guess it was just a matter of time.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Just don’t, okay?” Danny can’t argue about this right now. Not with the DJ playing dance tunes and Catherine wearing a freakin’ full-on lace wedding dress and Steve’s ring on her finger.

“Sorry,” Tani says. “Really.” She puts a hand on his shoulder, squeezing briefly, her eyes searching his. “Wanna dance?”

Danny sees Grace coming towards them, looking ridiculously grown up and beautiful, but with the same look of concern on her face as Tani has on hers. Rude or not, he’s got to get out of here. He can’t face his little girl right now.

“Tani, do me a favor – dance with Grace instead.”

Tani nods, and turns to intercept his daughter. Danny strides away, across the courtyard and through the hotel. He almost manages to get away clean, but he’s outside waiting for an Uber when he hears his name being called.

“Daniel? Can we talk for a minute?”

It’s Rachel, of course. Danny wonders how many people saw her running after him as he made his escape. How many believed he and Rachel were an item again, when they arrived together, Grace and Charlie in tow. 

“I’m not feeling well, Rach. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She gives him a pained look. “I know this is hard for you, but it is what we all agreed on.” Her accent gets stronger when she’s upset, and from the sound of it, she hasn’t enjoyed the afternoon’s charade much either. “Are you having second thoughts?”

Danny huffs out a bitter laugh. “Like you said, I agreed to this. Guess the joke’s on me.”

*****

Danny kicks his feet up on top of his carry-on and leans back in the uncomfortable plastic seat. It’s late, and LAX is quiet. He’s got almost three more hours before he needs to get in line to board his connecting flight to Boston. 

He parted ways with Rachel earlier, after he walked her to her gate. She’s got a lot more flight time ahead of her, on her way to London for few weeks of vacation. The kids are joining her but traveling separately, all to enhance the optics of Rachel and Danny going off together for a long-awaited tryst.

Danny has just managed to doze off when his carry-on is yanked out from under his feet. He jumps up, instantly awake and ready to dash after the culprit, and sees Steve, carry-on bag in hand.

“You’re just asking for that to get stolen,” Steve says. His face seems to be undecided as to whether it wants to smile or apologize. There’s been a lot of that lately.

Danny has half a mind to slug his partner, but instead he finds himself moving in close. Steve’s arms come around him, folding him in tight, and Danny practically goes weak in the knees. God, he’s a sucker. But it feels like it’s been ages since he’s been here, since he and Steve last touched with any motive other than keeping up platonic appearances.

It’s been almost a week since Steve got married.

They finally board their flight. They’re not seated together, of course, that would have been too easy. Steve has managed to snag himself an aisle seat, and Danny’s got a window, several rows behind him and on the other side of the plane. Once Danny sits down, he can’t see Steve anymore, although he hears his voice as he politely helps another passenger hoist their bag up into the overhead compartment.

The kid next to Danny is restless, moving back and forth, constantly leaning down to rummage through the backpack he’s shoved under the seat in front of him. He seems to be traveling alone, busy on his phone, not making conversation with the woman seated on the aisle on his other side. Danny makes him out to be in his twenties. He’s got his music turned up loud enough that Danny can hear it through his earbuds, which is supremely annoying.

Danny tries to sleep, wishing that the idiot next to him would settle down. Finally the boy gets up to stretch his legs or storm the cockpit and Danny slides into a doze.

He rouses to the feel of something warm being laid over him and squints open an eye. Steve is in the seat next to him, and Steve’s sweatshirt is draped over Danny’s torso.

“You looked cold.” Steve’s face is blank, which generally means he’s concerned, and trying not to show it. 

Danny lifts the arm between the seats out of the way and shifts, leaning his head on Steve’s shoulder. It’s a lot more comfortable than the cold plastic of the airplane window. He wonders briefly how Steve got the kid to switch seats with him, then realizes Steve traded his aisle seat for a squished middle one. Next to Danny.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Steve says softly. 

They’re both beyond tired by the time they land in Boston. They make their way to the baggage claim in silence, taking turns watching for their bags and using the restroom. Danny avoids the mirror, not wanting to look too closely at the bags under his eyes. It makes him feel a little better that Steve looks beat too.

They hadn’t bothered reserving a rental car, or making any hotel arrangements. This wasn’t the carefully planned, eagerly anticipated trip that Danny once imagined they’d take together. 

Steve is standing with their bags when Danny gets out of the bathroom, and they lug them on to a shuttle bus that goes to the airport Hilton. Fortunately there are rooms available. Danny wants to make a joke about how many beds they need, he thinks there’s a rom-com moment in there somewhere, but he’s just too tired.

Their room is sterile and entirely uninteresting but it’s got a bed and that’s all Danny cares about. Steve mutters something about showering but Danny just strips down to his boxers and passes out.

Sometime not much later he wakes up and sees Steve sitting on the edge of the other bed, looking lost, and his heart breaks a little. “Hey, come here.” Danny holds up the edge of the sheet, and Steve lurches over, scrambling under the covers as if he’s worried that if he doesn’t move quickly enough Danny will change his mind.

Steve’s warm and damp from his shower, and his hair smells like shampoo. Danny bundles him close and falls asleep with Steve’s arm heavy over his chest, his knees pressed up against Danny’s thigh. It’s the most comfortable Danny’s been in weeks.

Danny’s sense of time is all messed up, but they manage to sleep and doze and sleep again until it’s more or less morning. Danny showers and shaves and then goes downstairs to see what the rental car options are while Steve takes his turn in the bathroom. 

Finally, after another shuttle bus and a relatively short wait at the rental car counter, they’re in their car and on their way. Steve insists on getting a Jeep. “There are mountains in New Hampshire, Danny,” he explains. Danny thinks that Steve has never been to Colorado, where he might actually see some real mountains, but that’s a trip for another day.

They drive sluggishly through Boston rush hour traffic, which doesn’t let up for over an hour. Steve mutters in annoyance the whole time, and Danny wants to pat himself on the back for not saying “I told you so” about how the Honolulu traffic everyone complains about back home is nothing compared to East Coast traffic.

Danny can see the U.S.S. Constitution and the Bunker Hill Monument as they crawl along Route 93. He thinks that Steve would enjoy touring the city, checking out the Navy Yard and the museum, if they were here for that. Steve’s never been here before. It’s one of the reasons they picked New England for this – the landscape bears little resemblance to anywhere they’ve been together. No beaches and lush tropical greens, no desert, no Montana plains. Someplace new.

By the time they cross over into New Hampshire, Danny’s stomach is growling. They pull off the highway and find a diner, where they order giant plates of eggs and pancakes. It’s not nearly as good as what they usually get at their favorite Honolulu breakfast place. And there’s no coconut syrup.

They’re about to pay the bill when Steve gets a look on his face (it’s what Danny once called the constipated face, but he’s since decided that’s too kind). “I know things have been rough lately-”

“Not now.” Danny cuts him off.

Steve looks momentarily startled, then nods. “Okay.” And who says Steve hasn’t learned anything over the years? At least he’s figured out that prompting Danny into yelling – or crying, he’s not sure which is more likely – in the middle of a sticky diner in Londonderry isn’t the best idea.

They turn the radio on when they get back in the car, and Danny fiddles with the dial, trying to find something entertaining enough but mostly devoid of meaning. It’s hard to avoid love songs, though, or breakup songs. Luckily there aren’t many “you married your ex-girlfriend and pretended we didn’t exist in front of all our friends and family” songs in the top 40 these days.

When they get close to the town where they’ve reserved an airbnb they stop at a grocery store. Danny doesn’t tease Steve when he fills the cart with enough steak and hamburger to feed the team for a week, just makes sure they buy charcoal, too. And ice cream. The mood he’s in, he needs lots of ice cream.

They drive down a long, narrow dirt road to get to the house. The place isn’t much to look at from the back, but when they go inside there are windows stretching up two stories with a stunning view of a sparkling lake. The first floor has a kitchen open to a living room with two comfortable couches and a dark leather armchair, and a dining table off to the side. Upstairs is a landing that looks out over the living room, and past that are two bedrooms and a bathroom. Nothing fancy to take away from the beauty of what’s outside, but all very welcoming in woodsy shades of green and brown.

Danny opens the sliding doors to the deck, taking in the promised grill (which is, of course, gas, no need to have bought all that charcoal). He imagines coming out here early in the morning, drinking his coffee while the sun comes up over the lake.

There’s a small yard with a canoe pulled up out of the water. An aluminum dock stretches out away from the shore, with a speedboat tied securely to the side. Nice toys. 

Steve hadn’t let him see any of the rental details, including the price. Said it was his treat. Danny had wondered if it was unfair, at the time, but he no longer has a problem with it. It’s a little petty, but Danny hopes it’s even more expensive than he guessed.

He goes back inside to help unpack the groceries, and sees Steve with his cell phone to his ear. “It’s Cath,” Steve explains. Danny wants to snatch Steve’s phone and hurl it across the room, but he refrains. Who knows, maybe Steve and Cath are having a critical conversation about their new wedding china.

Needing to put a little space between himself and whatever is so important that Steve still needs to be talking to Catherine, Danny goes out onto the deck again, and then down to the yard. He walks to the end of the dock and sits down, taking off his shoes so he can put his feet in the water.

The lake is cold and dark. Nothing like the warm, clear turquoise of the Hawaiian ocean. Danny takes a deep breath of the pine-scented air, and, remarkably, misses the salt smell of Steve’s beach. It figures that he’d get attached to that damn place.

At least Catherine hadn’t insisted on getting married at Steve’s house. Danny didn’t think he would have been able to go through with it, if she had. And despite his current state of misery, he knows there were good reasons to go through with it. 

When Catherine called a few weeks ago with a lead on one of the world’s most wanted terrorists, Danny was more than willing to help her out. But then she revealed that she wouldn’t be able to get close to this guy unless she had the status of a married woman – and that being married to a particular former Navy SEAL would entice their target into thinking he could get something truly valuable from Cath. Danny had thought for sure that Steve would refuse.

Obviously, he didn’t.

To be fair, Catherine didn’t know – still doesn’t know – the true nature of Steve and Danny’s relationship. And although Danny is pretty sure that Five-0 suspects, he and Steve have never come out and told them, so they thought that the team would buy it.

And they did, as far as he can tell. It hurts, frankly, how easily they bought it. Despite everything their friends have seen between him and Steve, when Catherine showed up, everyone accepted that she was Steve’s soulmate, some magical creature who could waltz back into his life and be automatically adored. Sure, the wedding was put together quickly, but hey, look at those lovebirds finally getting their act together, how wonderful for them, let’s all help throw them a party to celebrate…

It makes Danny ache.

Only Rachel was let in on the secret, so she could help with their cover. It made sense - he and Rachel have been getting along well lately. Even Steve worried that they might get back together. So in the week before the wedding they played up the Rachel and Danny angle, Danny dropping her name into conversation more frequently and making sure everyone heard about a successful romantic dinner at Rachel’s favorite Honolulu hot spot. 

Danny drew the line at a double date with Steve and Catherine, however. He had to retain some measure of dignity.

The pièce de résistance was Steve and Danny scheduling their honeymoon and vacation with their respective significant others at the same time, to give the rest of Five-0 a chance to really take charge of the team, fly without a net, etc. etc. Danny owes Steve $50 for that one, he’s still not sure how Steve got Tani to think it was her idea. 

In theory, in the time that they are away, Cath will accomplish her mission, and the farce can be revealed. No harm no foul, life goes on.

Except Danny feels so goddamn awful, he’s forced to rethink the whole “no foul” business.

Danny pulls himself out of his thoughts as the dock vibrates with Steve’s footsteps.

“Mind if I join you?” Steve speaks in the same half-casual, half-tentative tone he’s been using for the past week or so. 

“Sure.”

Steve sits down next to him, dangling his bare feet in the cool water next to Danny’s. Danny wonders how things would be different if this were another kind of trip - if Steve would be splashing him, poking him, shoving him off the dock. Following him in with a sleek dive, or a raucous cannonball. Wrapping his arms around Danny in the water, dunking him under and kissing him senseless when he came up.

“I really am sorry,” Steve says. Some kind of bird hoots in the distance, as if for punctuation.

“Don’t apologize,” Danny responds. He’s been over and over this in his head, and it’s not Steve’s fault. “I agreed to it.”

“But I’m still sorry. I hurt you. You can’t tell me I didn’t hurt you.”

There it is, then. The truth of it.

“Yeah,” Danny says softly. “You did.” He leans his head on his hands, elbows on his knees. “Or, really, the situation hurt. It wasn’t you.”

“That’s bullshit. Situations don’t just happen.”

“That’s remarkably perceptive of you,” Danny snaps, more sharply than he intended. He lets out a long breath, picking up his head to stare out over the lake. There’s a tiny island not too far away, trees sticking up haphazardly all over it, like Steve’s hair first thing in the morning.

“I should never have said yes to it,” Steve continues.

“ _We_ should never have said yes to it. But we did, and here we are.”

“And here we are,” Steve repeats quietly. 

More long minutes go by. The goose or whatever it is hoots some more. Danny flicks a gnat away from his face, wishes he was wearing his sunglasses. 

“I’ve gotta ask you something, Danny.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to fix this?”

The question takes him by surprise. “What?”

Steve looks at him sadly. “Did we screw it up too much, or do you want to try to fix it?”

Danny hears roaring in his ears. “Did I not just fly halfway across the planet on some lame-ass excuse just to do that very thing? What do you think we’re doing here? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Then why won’t you talk to me?”

Danny draws in a breath to yell some more, only no words come out. He shakes his head. “This is the weirdest conversation.”

Steve nods. “Kind of a role reversal, I get it. But Danny, to be clear, I do want to fix it. Us. Just so you know.”

Despite the fact that this should be obvious, it’s still good to hear. Danny feels himself relax a little bit more. “I figured as much, with all the eyelash fluttering.”

Steve snorts. “I do not flutter my eyelashes.”

“You totally do.” 

Steve scoots a little closer to Danny, leans up against him and rests his head on his shoulder. Danny leans into him in response. He can’t help it, no matter how upset he is, his body wants to be close to Steve.

“Listen,” Steve says calmly. “I’m going to go back up to the house grill some steaks, put some beer on ice. We’re going to have a nice meal, watch some tv, and crash early. Sound good?”

Danny nods. “Yeah.”

“But tomorrow, we’re putting on our big boy pants and facing the music. No more moping. Deal?”

Danny wants to be annoyed – feelings don’t work that way – but it’s actually a relief to think there’s an end to this misery. Maybe super-SEAL Steve can just make it so. “Yeah. Deal.”

Danny plays around with the television while Steve grills, and puts on a documentary about the making of Game of Thrones. They eat sitting on the couches, beers on the coffee table, and argue about whether or not the writers treated Dany the way she deserved, and whether Bran could be a good ruler. Their banter almost feels normal.

After dinner they half-heartedly watch a few episodes of a cooking show, and then Danny cleans up while Steve goes upstairs with their luggage. Steve’s coming out of the shower by the time Danny goes upstairs, and he goes in to take his turn. The bathroom has a skylight in its slanted ceiling, but it’s dark now, and there’s nothing to see. 

Steve’s in bed when Danny comes out, sitting up with his tablet on his lap. The bed is a queen, with a green and brown patchwork kind of quilt that Steve has pushed back. Steve’s wearing sweat pants and a worn Navy t-shirt, and looks about as non-threatening as a six foot tall guy in your bed can be.

Steve has unpacked their things into neat little piles in the drawers, and Danny quickly changes into his own sleep pants and t-shirt, trying not to feel self-conscious as he drops his towel and pulls on his clothes. It’s ridiculous, given how many times he’s been proudly naked in front of this man, but things feel different now.

There’s a rift between them, and Danny can’t seem to shake it. He thinks back to Steve’s question on the dock - _do you want to fix this?_ Of course he does. He doesn’t understand what his problem is.

Steve reaches towards the light on the night table. “Do you want to go to sleep? Or read for a while?”

“Nah, I’m tired.”

Steve nods and turns off the light as Danny climbs into bed. It’s hard lying there without touching Steve, but Danny leaves a little strip of space anyway. Steve moves, and without conscious thought, Danny flinches.

There’s a long, awkward moment.

“I’m not going to do anything you don’t wanna do, Danny. But you acting like I might… it kinda stings.”

And doesn’t that pack a punch. “Fuck, Steve, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I’m just…” He doesn’t even know what to say, so he moves in close to Steve and wraps his arms around him. 

“I miss you,” Danny says, his face pressed against Steve’s neck, “and I’m mad at you, and I want you, and at the same time I feel sick about the whole thing. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t know what to do.”

“I love you, Danny,” Steve says softly. “But I can’t make you forgive me if you don’t want to.”

“You think I don’t want to?”

Steve shrugs. “What do I know? It seems like it.”

“I’ll figure it out, Steve. I promise.” Danny lifts himself up on an elbow. He can’t really see Steve’s face, but he cups his cheek, and leans in for a kiss. Steve returns the kiss quickly, letting out a little sound of surprise.

They exchange gentle kisses for a few minutes, Steve lightly holding the back of Danny’s neck, then Danny pulls away and settles in his usual spot on Steve’s chest, cheek against the soft fabric of his t-shirt. Steve breathes heavily for a moment, rubbing circles on Danny’s back, and then presses a kiss to his hair.

“We’re gonna be okay, Danno,” Steve says, more confidence in his voice than Danny has heard in a while. “We’ll both figure it out. It’s gonna be okay.”

*****  
Danny is awakened in the morning by the sound of his vibrating phone sliding off the night table and hitting the hardwood floor. He scrambles to reach it and hits answer when he sees that it’s Grace calling.

“Danno, you lied to me.”

Danny flops over on his back, glancing at the clock. Seven a.m., which means it’s noon in London. He wonders if Grace thought she was being considerate by waiting until seven to call him.

“Grace, it’s awfully early for this.”

“I think it’s kind of late, actually.”

Steve has clued into what’s happening by now, and has slid his head over right next to Danny’s so he can hear both sides of the conversation.

“What exactly are you mad about?” Danny doesn’t want to give away more than he needs to – maybe Grace is just peeved that Danny isn’t in London with them.

“The wedding, obviously. How could you not tell me what’s really going on?”

Danny sighs. “Because as mature and grown-up as you are, you actually aren’t eligible to be read into this op.”

“You can tell me. You told Mom.”

“I had to, monkey. How did you find out, anyway? Your mom’s a pretty decent liar, I thought she’d be able to stick to the story for at least a few more days.”

Steve snorts next to him, apparently in agreement about Rachel’s skills at deception.

“It was you, you gave it away.”

“I did not. I never said a thing.”

“Your face did,” Grace retorts. “You were so fake and annoying before the wedding, and during the ceremony you looked like you were going to hurl. You had me worried for Uncle Steve.”

“For Steve?”

“Yeah, I figured maybe he got cancer from the radiation, and he had to marry Catherine for the insurance, but Mom says that’s not it.”

Steve is shaking behind him, muffling his laughter into Danny’s shoulder. Danny swats him with his free hand and tries to focus on Grace.

“Your mother is right, Steve is fine, he thankfully does not have cancer or any other similar illness of which I am aware. And why would he need insurance from Catherine?”

“I don’t know, it’s a thing people get married for, how should I know? Mom always said your insurance was crappy, that’s why she tried to keep Charlie on Stan’s.”

The conversation is veering into territory Danny has no intention of exploring. “For the record, my health insurance is just fine, and so is Steve’s.” He takes a deep breath. “Grace, I really can’t discuss this right now. But Steve and I are fine. Hopefully I can tell you more in a few weeks, okay?”

“That’s not fair.”

“Can I talk to her?” Steve asks under his breath, pointing to the phone. Danny nods and hands it over.

“Grace? It’s Steve.” Steve rolls over and sits up on the edge of the bed, then gets up and walks out of the room with the phone. Danny is tempted to follow him, but then he decides he’ll just let Steve work his magic. Grace is much more likely to be satisfied with whatever Steve tells her. He tries not to take it too personally.

A few minutes later Steve returns and hands Danny the phone. He says a quick goodbye to Grace, who apparently needs to get ready to go out for lunch with her grandparents anyway, and hangs up.

“What did you say to her?” 

Steve sits down on the edge of the bed, looking intently at Danny. “I told her that I love her and Charlie, and you, very much, and I would never do anything to hurt any of you. That you are the most important person in my life, and that nothing was happening that you and I didn’t plan together. I asked her if she could trust me on that, and wait to hear the rest of it for a few more weeks, and she said yes.” 

Danny takes a moment to absorb this. “You told her that I was the most important person in your life?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Come here.” Danny pulls Steve against him, hugging him tight, and Steve squeezes him right back. “I love you, you know that, right?”

Steve nods against his shoulder.

“I do, Steve. I love you like crazy.”

They stay that way for a few minutes, and then Steve pulls away. “Okay if I go for a swim?”

Danny scans Steve’s face, but he can’t find any reason to say no, despite the fact that he’d rather keep Steve close. “Sure.”

While Steve’s gone Danny takes a quick shower, pulls on jeans and a sweatshirt, and heads downstairs to make coffee. There’s a thin layer of fog over the water, and he can’t see Steve. It’s not as if Steve can’t take care of himself in a lake that doesn’t even have any sharks in it, but he’ll feel better when he’s back.

Danny takes two cups of coffee and a towel out to the deck and sits at the table, letting his thoughts wander. He breathes easier when he spots Steve heading back towards the dock, his powerful strokes making ripples as he goes.

Watching Steve pull himself up on to the dock and walk towards the shore, water streaming down his body, is a view Danny will never get tired of.

Coming up on to the deck, Steve takes the towel from Danny with a grateful nod. After Steve dries himself off (also a great show) they sit together in silence for a little while, sipping their coffee.

“You know what I’m in the mood for?” Steve asks, breaking the silence.

“What?”

“Pizza.”

It’s still early in the morning, and Steve never wants pizza, but Danny isn’t about to object.

“Okay.”

By the time they get ready to leave the house, they still haven’t decided on whether to get take-out or go to the grocery store for the necessary items to make pizza from scratch. Danny used to do it all the time with Grace, so he knows they can do a decent job themselves, but then they see a pizza joint that opens early, and they decide to take the lazy way out.

They still have some time to kill so they walk around the little town for a while, browsing in a bookstore with a surprisingly interesting selection of books about mysteries in New England, and treating themselves to an overpriced pound of assorted gummies and chocolate covered fruit from a candy store. Danny buys them lattes flavored with real maple syrup, which Steve declares disgusting. Danny kind of agrees, although he’s not about to admit it.

Finally the pizza place opens, and they scroll through their phones as they wait for their order to be ready. Danny’s got a text from Grace apologizing for being a pain and sending him a bunch of cute emojis, which do their job and make him smile.

When their order is called Steve offers to pay – the first time that day, Danny can’t help but point out – and just as he’s digging his fingers into his wallet to extract his money, a ring flies out and clatters to the ground, rolling away towards the door.

The woman next to them at the counter dives for it and hands it back to Steve. “Got it!” she announces triumphantly. “You wouldn’t want to lose this.”

The tips of Steve’s ears have gone red, but he plays along, thanking the woman and stuffing the ring into his pocket.

Danny takes the pizza and they walk out to the Jeep. Danny is concentrating on not saying anything, because anything he says is just going to make matters worse. When they get inside, Steve starts the car, pulls out onto the road, and then glances at him pointedly before speaking.

“Okay, out with it.”

“What?”

“You’re dying to yell at me,” Steve says. “Go ahead, get it over with.”

“I’m not going to yell at you. Why would I yell at you? You haven’t even started driving yet.”

“Danny…”

Danny considers his options. Steve’s right, he’s probably not going to be able to keep quiet about this. Might as well get it over with or Steve will just keep bothering him about it. “Just wondering if that’s the same ring Harry gave you to use back in Laos. Or if you got a new one.”

A pause. Danny watches Steve’s face, but he doesn’t give anything away.

“And that matters… why?”

Danny shrugs. “Don’t know. But you asked, and that’s what I was thinking.”

“No, it’s not the same ring – Harry took those rings back.” Steve’s definitely got a tone, and not surprisingly, it’s fairly tense. “What, do you think I’ve had the rings sitting around my house this whole time?”

“How would I know? You never got rid of the engagement ring you got Cath.”

Steve’s fingers tighten around the steering wheel. “I didn’t know what to do with it.”

“Well, guess it’s a good thing you kept it.” Which is completely unfair of Danny to say. It doesn’t even make sense – Steve and Cath just used plain gold wedding rings in the ceremony, as it turned out, although Danny had expected to see the diamond make an appearance. He had, in fact, driven himself kind of nuts waiting for it to appear on Catherine’s finger in the days before the wedding. Not that he was looking that closely, or anything.

It’s only a few minutes’ drive back to the house, although it feels like forever. When they pull into the driveway, Steve turns off the car and sits still for a long moment, biting his lip. Finally he turns to Danny.

“You know, this hasn’t been fun for me either. When I wanted to ask for real, Catherine rejected me. Then she comes back and wants a wedding, not because she cares about me, but because I’m useful.”

“You looked like you were having fun, standing up there in your tux in front of everyone, professing your love and devotion.” Danny regrets his words as soon as they leave his mouth. He knows it’s not true, but he can’t seem to stop picking at this scab.

“Danny, if you think there is anyone I want to be saying those words to besides you, you really haven’t been paying attention.” Steve gets out of the car and closes the door, walking into the house without even a glance back in Danny’s direction.

Danny leans over and bangs his head against the dashboard. 

The smell of pizza permeates the car. It’s not helping.

Danny’s torn between wanting to give Steve a minute or two to cool off, and knowing that time probably won’t make his fuck-up any less painful. Taking the pizza with him (it’s not the pizza’s fault Danny is a dumb-ass) he goes inside the house.

Steve is out on the deck, leaning against the railing.

“I’m sorry, babe. I was out of line. I’m sorry.”

Danny comes up behind Steve, puts his hands on his shoulders and leans his forehead against his back. “Please, you know I’m an idiot when I start running my mouth. I’m sorry.”

Steve turns in Danny’s arms, his face drawn, eyes flickering up to Danny’s and then back down again. “This hurt me too,” he says, his voice rough. “Why can’t you see that?”

Danny feels his heart break. “I do, I do see it. I should have seen it before. I’m sorry.” Danny tilts his head up and kisses Steve, who kisses back with more force than Danny expected, sending a sudden shiver down his spine. Steve practically attacks his mouth, biting at his lip, clutching tight at Danny’s sides.

Danny feels Steve shuffle him backwards, until he’s pushed down into a chair, Steve straddling him and grabbing his face with both hands.

The deck chair creaks and Danny turns his face just enough to get a full breath, holding Steve back when he tries to dive back in for more. 

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Danny says. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” 

“Danny…” Steve pants out, sounding desperate. “What do I have to do? Just tell me, I’ll do it, I don’t want to fight anymore.”

“We’re not fighting. It’s okay, we’re fine. I promise. We’re fine.”

Steve sags against Danny, still breathing hard. Danny strokes his hands up and down Steve’s back, trying to soothe him. “This was a dumb plan, okay? We both know that now, we got the memo. But the worst is over, right? No more watching the love of our life marry somebody else, no more having to pretend with fucking Catherine. That part’s all done.”

Steve squirms in Danny’s hold, and then sits up, the wrecked look on his face replaced by something decidedly more hopeful. “The love of your life?”

Danny rocks his head back, embarrassed, but he can’t avoid Steve’s gaze for long. “Yes, you goof. You’re the love of my life. I’ll write it on a pancake if you want. Now get off me, before I lose all feeling in my legs.”

Steve complies, lifting a long leg gracefully up and over Danny’s lap. “You couldn’t fit that on a pancake.”

“Two pancakes, then. Or one really big pancake.”

“Will you butter them for me?”

Danny accepts Steve’s hand and lets him pull him up out of the chair, his back protesting at the angle. “How about we reheat that pizza, and save the pancakes for later?”

*****  
The next few days feel almost normal, although it’s downright strange to have all this time with Steve and so little to do. Unlike normal, though, they don’t fill their free time with sex. It just doesn’t feel right.

One afternoon they take the speedboat out. Once they get past the little island with the funny trees the lake opens up. It’s much bigger than Danny had realized, and they cruise around for an hour or so, exploring the little coves and looking for the bird Danny keeps hearing hoot at them. 

“It’s a loon, Danny,” Steve insists. But Danny can’t take this seriously, as “ _you’re_ a loon” seems to be the only appropriate response.

They’ve turned off the boat’s engine, just letting themselves drift. The sun is warmer today, and Steve has stripped off his shirt and is lying back with his eyes closed. He looks like something out of a magazine.

“Naptime?” Danny asks.

“Yeah, you should try it.”

“Aren’t you afraid we’ll run into something?”

Steve sits up. “I put down the anchor. How did you miss that?”

Danny shrugs. “I was looking for the bird.”

Steve opens his mouth to say “loon” but realizes that Danny is goading him, and stops himself just in time. “Come on, come up here with me.”

Steve is stretched out on the deck by the bow, and he’s got a cushion under his head. Danny tosses his own shirt below in the little cabin and climbs forward, joining Steve on the deck. He lies down carefully, shuffling until his head is next to Steve’s. 

The rocking of the boat is incredibly calming, and the heat of the sun on his skin quickly warms him through. He runs his fingers over the bumpy surface of the deck. “What if we never went back?”

Steve nuzzles Danny’s head. “You’d miss Grace and Charlie.”

“We could visit.”

“You’d get bored. You’re bored already.”

“Says the man who felt the need to tune-up our rental car yesterday.”

“It was making a noise.”

“It’s a car, it’s supposed to make noise.” Danny sighs, poking at Steve’s side until Steve wraps their hands together. “It’s just nice to be away, I guess.”

“Didn’t know you liked pine trees so much.”

“I don’t think it’s the pine trees.” Danny lifts himself up a little, leans over and presses a kiss to Steve’s cheekbone, his hair blowing down over his face. 

“That tickles,” Steve responds, cupping Danny’s face to guide Danny’s lips to his own. “Mmm, better.”

They make out lazily for a while, and then Steve dozes off, resting his face against Danny’s bare shoulder. Danny considers ribbing him for falling asleep while kissing, but then decides to take it as a compliment.

Later that night, as Danny is joining Steve in bed – once again, both of them clad in t-shirts and sleep pants - Danny manages to put words to the elephant in the room.

“You, um, you don’t mind? That we’re not-” he waves his hand vaguely between them. 

Steve shrugs. “It’s fine. Besides, for the moment, I’m married. At least until we file for divorce.” He doesn’t say it like a joke, more like a death sentence.

“Babe, are you… are you worried about committing adultery?”

Steve blushes. “No, of course not.”

He maybe is, Danny thinks. Who could have guessed? Danny gets in bed and scoots over towards Steve. “I was assuming we were both not engaging in… whatever,” he waves his hand again, “for the same reasons, but now I’m not so sure.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Steve says, clearly uncomfortable.

“I think it does,” Danny says gently. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

Steve purses his lips. “You already did.”

“You didn’t have sex with Catherine after the wedding, right?” Danny may have been upset at having to watch Steve go through with the ceremony, including kissing the bride, but not once has he doubted Steve’s fidelity.

Steve’s eyes widen. “Of course not, Danny, what do you think-” 

“So you won’t be filing for divorce, it’ll be an annulment. As if it never happened.”

Danny’s not sure how this detail never occurred to Steve, but it clearly did not. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Oh.” A little smile pulls at the corner of Steve’s mouth. “An annulment. That’s, um, that’s better.” He glances up at Danny. “Not that there’s anything wrong with being divorced, if you meant to be married in the first place, but-” Steve sighs and ducks his head, leaning against Danny’s side.

“But what?”

“It felt like I was wasting it with her. The whole time, through the ceremony, and the reception, with all the flowers and congratulations and celebrating… I felt so empty. And then I went to find you, and you were already gone – which I totally understand, but still… it wasn’t right. I guess I wanted it to be special.”

Danny slides down and wraps an arm around Steve, taking a moment to judge Steve’s mental state before responding. He almost always laughs, no matter how awful Danny’s jokes are, but they’re on shaky ground these days.

“I’m sorry, babe,” Danny finally says, seriously. “I’m sorry you wasted your wedding virginity on Catherine.”

Steve barks out a laugh, and then Danny is laughing too, until they’re both clutching their stomachs and gasping for air. 

“Guess you can’t wear white at our wedding,” Danny spits out between cackles.

“That’s offensive and archaic, I can wear whatever I want,” Steve replies, still laughing.

It seems to take forever before they calm down, one of them starting up again and setting the other off, but they finally relax. Danny rests his head on Steve’s chest, fingers playing idly with the collar of his t-shirt.

“So,” Steve says, “you, um, think we’re going to have a wedding someday, you and me?”

Danny is suddenly glad he’s got a shirt on, because otherwise he’d probably be sporting a full body blush. “If it’s up to me? Yeah.”

Steve squeezes Danny so tight for a moment he can hardly breathe. “I’d like that too.”

*****  
Danny’s getting out the ingredients to make pancakes the next morning when Steve’s phone rings. Steve picks it up and answers, straightening his shoulders in a way that makes Danny stop rattling pans and pay attention.

“Okay. Understood. Understood.”

This side of the call isn’t very informative, and Steve has walked out onto the deck, clearly focused on the conversation. Soon Danny sees him shove his phone back into his pocket, and then turn towards Danny with a wide grin on his face.

“Danno?” Steve strides towards him and takes him in his arms. “It’s over. Cath’s op is done, the guy is in custody. We don’t have to pretend anymore. It’s over.”

“That’s great, babe-” Whatever else Danny was going to say is lost as Steve kisses him hard and long. Danny gives back just as enthusiastically, pulling away just long enough to nip at Steve’s jaw and suck at that spot on his neck that always makes Steve moan - and today is no exception. Danny’s practically humping Steve’s leg when Steve stops them and starts to tug Danny towards the stairs. 

Danny nearly trips over his own feet in his hurry to follow him, and Steve beams back at him. They’re both stripping off their clothes as they go up, but Steve grabs Danny’s hands just as he’s about to divest himself of his briefs.

“Hang on, buddy, we need to make sure we’re on the same page,” Steve says, still grinning like a lunatic. 

“I dunno, you get over your aversion to cheating on your not-wife?”

Steve’s smile gets impossibly wider, and he yanks his pants up off the floor, pulling out his cell phone from a pocket and stabbing at it vigorously.

“It’s not cheating if she says it’s ok – see?”

Steve’s pulled up a text, clearly from Cath, which says _you have my full permission to ravish and be ravished._ Danny’s kind of curious as to what exactly Steve asked, to get that kind of response, but that’s a question for another time. Right now, there are more important matters to attend to.

“So, which one will it be, then?” Danny asks, as Steve gets his thumbs under the waistband of Danny’s briefs and impatiently renders Danny naked. “Ravish or be ravished?”

Steve drops to his knees and smiles up at Danny, his hands already sliding up Danny’s thighs and making him quiver. “I’ll bet we can do both.”

They do.


End file.
